Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Classical Music Superstar Violinist ITZHAK PERLMAN Performs Recital with Pianist Rohan de Silva, Dec. 6

NOVEMBER 10, 2011

“…Charismatic stage presence, superb technique, mastery of a wide repertoire and an unfailing ability to communicate distinguish the violinist, who is widely recognized as one of the great virtuosos of his generation…–Contra Costa Times

Israeli-born classical music superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman takes the stage with pianist Rohan de Silva on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:30pm in Verizon Hall. The recipient of fifteen Grammy® awards including 2008 Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, Perlman recently traveled to Asia to perform solo recitals in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau with pianist and frequent collaborator, Rohan De Silva.  His program at the Kimmel Center includes Schubert’s Rondo for Violin and Piano in B minor, D. 895, Op. 70, ('Rondeau Brillant'); Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 100 and Hungarian Dance No. 3; and Saint-Saëns Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75.

Other highlights of Perlman’s 2011-12 season include the gala opening of the new Kaufman Center in Kansas City, Missouri with the Kansas City Symphony, a play/conduct performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in April 2012, and recitals across North America including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego and Washington, D.C. 

Tickets for Itzhak Perlman are available from $40 to $100 by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org or at the Kimmel Center Box Office located on Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (open daily from 10am to 6pm, later on performance evenings.

“There are many fine violinists on today’s concert stages, but nobody else gives you quite the same feeling—the impression that the violin and the bow are really living extensions of each arm, and the music they make is really an extension of the player’s own voice and breath. Perlman’s amazing control does recall that of his fabled predecessor; not even Heifetz could command a more compelling bow, one that moves with uncanny alacrity in skittering over fast passagework with incredible evenness.” –The Seattle Times

Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician, having been honored with invitations to perform at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in January of 2009 and the State Dinner for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in May 2007, hosted by President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, Itzhak Perlman is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to the irrepressible joy of making music, which he communicates.  

Perlman has appeared with every major orchestra and in recitals and festivals around the world. His long association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra includes history-making concerts in Warsaw and Budapest in 1987, as well as the Soviet Union in 1990, captured on the Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, Perlman in Russia. Additional Emmy Awards garnered include the PBS documentaries Fiddling for the Future, Perlman in Shanghai and In the Fiddler’s House, the latter of which was filmed in Poland in 1995 and dedicated to Klezmer music. His virtuosic violin solo performances have also been featured in the soundtracks of Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning film Schindler’s List, Zhang Yimou’s film Hero and Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha.

Perlman has received various awards and recognitions for his musicianship including the Kennedy Center Honor, America’s most prestigious lifetime achievement award, in December 2003; the "National Medal of Arts" from President Clinton in 2000; and the coveted "Medal of Liberty" from President Reagan in 1986. He has performed for the highest dignitaries including the State Dinner for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, hosted by President and Mrs. George W. Bush at the White House in May 2007.

Internationally renowned pianist Rohan de Silva, a native of Sri Lanka, has performed with Perlman in prestigious venues worldwide, including the White House, and on PBS’ Live from Lincoln Center broadcast in January 2000. Partnerships with violin virtuosos Cho-Liang Lin, Midori, Joshua Bell and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, among others, have lead to wide acclaim. De Silva’s numerous music festival appearances include the Aspen, Interlochen, Manchester, Ravinia and the Wellington Arts Festival in New Zealand. In 2005, de Silva received the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award, presented by Perlman at the 2005 Classical Recording Foundation Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall.

“Perlman is as good as gold…Because he seems to be everywhere, and to infuse everything he touches with the magic of his golden, fluid tone, violinist Itzhak Perlman might easily be taken for granted.  Yet beyond the rapturous, seemingly effortless sound, the emotional arc of his playing is shaped to perfection.  And he attacks the violin repertoire...with comparably persuasive interpretive skill. Perlman also is an extraordinary audience magnet.” –Chicago Sun-Times ______________________________________________________________________

Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center.  Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. Our mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience from throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The 2011/12 season is sponsored by Citi.  For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org. 

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