Pinchas Zukerman
Encyclopedia
Pinchas Zukerman is a world-renowned violin
ist, violist
, and conductor
. He is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his ongoing 45-year career has seen him perform with the world's best-known orchestras and record over 100 works. Zukerman has held the position of Principal Conductor and Music Director of Ottawa
's National Arts Centre Orchestra
since April 1998, and the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
since 2009.
Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv
to Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zukerman. At the age of 4 he was introduced to the recorder and then clarinet by his father, and picked up the violin at the age of 8. His talent on that instrument was discovered by Isaac Stern
and Pablo Casals
during their trip to Israel in 1962, which resulted in his 1962 move to the United States
for study at the Juilliard School
, under the tutelage of Stern and Ivan Galamian
. He made his New York
début in 1963 and in 1967 shared the prestigious Leventritt Prize with the Korean violinist Kyung-wha Chung
. His 1969 debut recordings of the concerti by Tchaikovsky (under the direction of Antal Dorati
, with the London Symphony Orchestra
) and Mendelssohn (with Leonard Bernstein
and the New York Philharmonic
) launched a successful recording career that continues to the present day and boasts over 110 releases.
Zukerman launched his conducting career in 1970 with the English Chamber Orchestra
, and was particularly active during the early 1970s as Director of the Southbank Festival in London (1971–1974). From 1980 to 1987 Zukerman was the director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
in Minnesota
, and later directed the summer festivals of the Dallas
(1991–1995) and Baltimore
(1996–1999) symphony orchestras. He has collaborated with filmmaker Christopher Nupen
on several projects, and was the subject of Nupen's "Pinchas Zukerman: Here to Make Music" documentary of 1974.
Zukerman performs over 150 concerts around the world each year, and is still considered to be in the very top echelon of violinists. His playing has earned him 21 Grammy nominations, 2 Grammy wins, the King Solomon Award, the National Medal of Arts (presented by President Reagan in 1983), the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence, and an honorary doctorate from Brown University.
Zukerman has always been an avid performer of chamber music, and has collaborated extensively with artists such as Zubin Mehta
, Daniel Barenboim
, Itzhak Perlman
, Jacqueline DuPre, Yo-Yo Ma
, Lynn Harrell
, and Yefim Bronfman
. In 2003 he founded the Zukerman Chamber Players
, a string quintet that has performed at festivals and venues around the world including the BBC Proms, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw
, Verbier
, the 92nd Street Y
, Ravinia, and Tanglewood
, and has released 3 CD recordings.
Zukerman is on the faculty at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music
and is the head and founder of the Zukerman Performance Program at the school. Amongst his former students have been Koh Gabriel Kameda
, Julian Rachlin
, Guy Braunstein and others. In 1999 he founded the National Arts Centre Young Artists Programme, which counts young musicians such as Viviane Hagner
, Jessica Linnebach
, Antal Szalai
, and Caitlin Tully as alumni. In 2006 Zukerman began his involvement in the Rolex Artistic Mentorship programme.
He plays the "Dushkin" Guarnerius del Gesù
violin of 1742.
, who is the National Arts Centre Orchestra's principal cellist
. He has two daughters, Arianna and Natalia, from his 17-year marriage (1968–1985) to flutist and novelist Eugenia Zukerman
. Both daughters are musicians; Arianna Zukerman
is a classical soprano, while Natalia Zukerman
is a folk singer and guitarist. He was married to actress Tuesday Weld
from 1985 to 1998.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, violist
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. He is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his ongoing 45-year career has seen him perform with the world's best-known orchestras and record over 100 works. Zukerman has held the position of Principal Conductor and Music Director of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
's National Arts Centre Orchestra
National Arts Centre Orchestra
The National Arts Centre Orchestra is an orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital. It is a classically-sized ensemble currently conducted by Pinchas Zukerman.-Description:Since 1998, Pinchas Zukerman has been the Music Director. Mario Bernardi C.C...
since April 1998, and the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
since 2009.
Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
to Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zukerman. At the age of 4 he was introduced to the recorder and then clarinet by his father, and picked up the violin at the age of 8. His talent on that instrument was discovered by Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
and Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
during their trip to Israel in 1962, which resulted in his 1962 move to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for study at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, under the tutelage of Stern and Ivan Galamian
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian was an influential Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.He was born in Tabriz, Iran, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras until his graduation in 1919...
. He made his New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
début in 1963 and in 1967 shared the prestigious Leventritt Prize with the Korean violinist Kyung-wha Chung
Kyung-wha Chung
Kyung-wha Chung is a Korean violinist.- Biography :Kyung-wha Chung's musical career began at the age of three. Her fame in the seventies and eighties was at the top level, and ranked alongside the great violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman...
. His 1969 debut recordings of the concerti by Tchaikovsky (under the direction of Antal Dorati
Antal Doráti
Antal Doráti, KBE was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1947.-Biography:...
, with the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
) and Mendelssohn (with Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
and the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
) launched a successful recording career that continues to the present day and boasts over 110 releases.
Zukerman launched his conducting career in 1970 with the English Chamber Orchestra
English Chamber Orchestra
The English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall...
, and was particularly active during the early 1970s as Director of the Southbank Festival in London (1971–1974). From 1980 to 1987 Zukerman was the director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra , based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the United States' only full-time professional chamber orchestra...
in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and later directed the summer festivals of the Dallas
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra. It performs its concerts in the Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States....
(1991–1995) and Baltimore
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
(1996–1999) symphony orchestras. He has collaborated with filmmaker Christopher Nupen
Christopher Nupen
Christopher Nupen is a South African-born filmmaker based in the United Kingdom specialising in biographical documentaries of musicians.Nupen was born in South Africa to a family of Norwegian descent — his father, E. P...
on several projects, and was the subject of Nupen's "Pinchas Zukerman: Here to Make Music" documentary of 1974.
Zukerman performs over 150 concerts around the world each year, and is still considered to be in the very top echelon of violinists. His playing has earned him 21 Grammy nominations, 2 Grammy wins, the King Solomon Award, the National Medal of Arts (presented by President Reagan in 1983), the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence, and an honorary doctorate from Brown University.
Zukerman has always been an avid performer of chamber music, and has collaborated extensively with artists such as Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
, Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
, Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
, Jacqueline DuPre, Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
, Lynn Harrell
Lynn Harrell
Lynn Harrell is an American classical cellist.-Biography:Harrell was born in New York City of musician parents; his father was the baritone Mack Harrell and his mother, Marjorie Fulton, was a violinist. At the age of eight he decided to learn to play the cello. When Lynn was 12, his family moved...
, and Yefim Bronfman
Yefim Bronfman
Yefim "Fima" Naumovich Bronfman is a Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist.-Biography:He was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, and emigrated to Israel at the age of 15...
. In 2003 he founded the Zukerman Chamber Players
Zukerman Chamber Players
The Zukerman Chamber Players is a world-renowned chamber ensemble led by violinist and violist Pinchas Zukerman. Formed in 2003, they have performed over 40 concerts around the world and recorded two CDs....
, a string quintet that has performed at festivals and venues around the world including the BBC Proms, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw
Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...
, Verbier
Verbier
Verbier is a village located in southwestern Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is one of the largest holiday resort and ski areas in the Swiss Alps, is recognized as one of the premiere "off-piste" locations in the world...
, the 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association...
, Ravinia, and Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
, and has released 3 CD recordings.
Zukerman is on the faculty at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
and is the head and founder of the Zukerman Performance Program at the school. Amongst his former students have been Koh Gabriel Kameda
Koh Gabriel Kameda
Koh Gabriel Kameda is a German-Japanese concert violinist and violin teacher.- Early life :Koh Gabriel Kameda was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, into a family of medical doctors...
, Julian Rachlin
Julian Rachlin
Julian Rachlin is a Lithuanian-born violinist and violist.-Background and early life:Born in Vilnius, he emigrated in 1978 with his musician parents to Austria. In 1983, he entered the Konservatorium Wien and studied violin in the Soviet tradition with Boris Kuschnir, while also receiving private...
, Guy Braunstein and others. In 1999 he founded the National Arts Centre Young Artists Programme, which counts young musicians such as Viviane Hagner
Viviane Hagner
Viviane Hagner is an internationally renowned violinist. She was born in Munich, Germany in 1977, to a German father and Korean mother.Hagner made her international debut at the age of 12, and one year later performed as soloist at the historic "Joint Concert" in Tel Aviv with the Berlin and...
, Jessica Linnebach
Jessica Linnebach
Jessica Linnebach is a Canadian classical violinist. She is a founding member of the Zukerman Chamber Players, as well as the Associate Concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra...
, Antal Szalai
Antal Szalai
Antal Zalai is a Hungarian concert violinist.Antal Zalai began his classical violin studies at the age of five. He graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in 2009 where he was a student of Kati Sebestyén...
, and Caitlin Tully as alumni. In 2006 Zukerman began his involvement in the Rolex Artistic Mentorship programme.
He plays the "Dushkin" Guarnerius del Gesù
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri house of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and he has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line...
violin of 1742.
Personal life
Zukerman lives in the Rockcliffe Park area of Ottawa with his wife Amanda ForsythAmanda Forsyth
Amanda Forsyth is a Juno Award-winning Canadian cellist, and is the principal cello of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.-Biography:...
, who is the National Arts Centre Orchestra's principal cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. He has two daughters, Arianna and Natalia, from his 17-year marriage (1968–1985) to flutist and novelist Eugenia Zukerman
Eugenia Zukerman
Eugenia Rich Zukerman is an American flutist, writer, and journalist. An internationally renowned flute virtuoso, Mrs Zukerman has been performing with major orchestras and at major music festivals internationally for more than three decades...
. Both daughters are musicians; Arianna Zukerman
Arianna Zukerman
Arianna Zukerman , is an American lyric soprano who has performed with some of the world's finest orchestras and opera companies. Her voice was described in the Washington Post as "remarkable" combining the "range, warmth and facility of a Rossini mezzo with shimmering, round high notes and...
is a classical soprano, while Natalia Zukerman
Natalia Zukerman
Natalia Zukerman is an American artist and musician raised in Manhattan, New York. She is the daughter of violist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and flutist/writer Eugenia Zukerman, and the sister of opera singer Arianna Zukerman...
is a folk singer and guitarist. He was married to actress Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
from 1985 to 1998.
External links
- Profile at New York PhilharmonicNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
- Profile at Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraPittsburgh Symphony OrchestraThe Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...