Pinchas Zukerman is recognized throughout the world for his exceptional artistic standards. With three decades of critical acclaim for his musical genius and prodigious technique, his incomparable musicianship marks him as one of the masters of our time. He is equally respected as a violinist, violist, conductor, pedagogue and chamber musician.
Born in Tel Aviv in 1948, Mr. Zukerman began musical training with his father, first on recorder, then clarinet, and ultimately violin. At the age of eight, he began studying with Ilona Feher at the Israel Conservatory and the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. With the guidance of Isaac Stern and Pablo Casals, the support of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and scholarships from The Juilliard School and Helena Rubinstein Foundation, he came to America in 1962 to study with Ivan Galamian at Juilliard. In 1967, Mr. Zukerman won First Prize in the Twenty-Fifth Leventritt International Competition, setting the stage for his solo career.
Mr. Zukerman has amassed a prolific discography which numbers more than 100 releases, and is widely representative of the violin and viola repertoire. His catalogue of recordings for Angel, CBS, Deutsche Grammophon, London, Philips, and RCA contains 21 Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards: "Best Chamber Music Performance" in 1980 and "Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra" in 1981. Pinchas Zukerman now records exclusively for BMG Classics on the RCA Victor Red Seal label. In January 1998, BMG will release Mr. Zukerman's newest recordings of the Beethoven Triple Concerto with cellist Ralph Kirshbaum and pianist John Browning, and of the Brahms Double Concerto with Ralph Kirshbaum, both accompanied by Christoph Eschenbach conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Zukerman's conducting career began in 1970 with the English Chamber Orchestra. He has since conducted many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and National Arts Centre Orchestra, as well as European orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic. He served as Music Director of the South Bank Festival for three years and of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for seven years, and as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony's International Summer Music Festival for three years, and of the Dallas Symphony for two years. In 1996, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Summer MusicFest. In addition, he is Artistic Director of the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music, and of the Ilona Feher Music Center in Holon, Israel.
As a chamber musician, Pinchas Zukerman has collaborated with prominent artists and colleagues around the world for over 20 years. Included among these musicians are Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, the late Jacqueline DuPre, Zubin Mehta, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Isaac Stern, the Guarneri Quartet, the Tokyo Quartet, Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Ralph Kirshbaum and Shlomo Mintz. In 1989, Mr. Zukerman and a group of colleagues created a performance ensemble that continues to tour throughout South America, Europe, Israel, Mexico, and the United States.
Highlights of Mr. Zukerman's 1997-98 season include conducting engagements with the Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Toronto, Vancouver and Milwaukee Symphonies, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, as well as solo appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Utah Symphony and San Jose Symphony. Mr. Zukerman appears internationally this season with the NHK Symphony of Japan, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of England, and Natal Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestras of South Africa. In the spring, he joins cellist Ralph Kirshbaum in Manchester for performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic, in conjunction with the duo's BMG release of the concerto in January.
Mr. Zukerman tours Europe as conductor and soloist of the English Chamber Orchestra and performs with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta, both at the orchestra's home in Tel Aviv and on a North American tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Israel's independence. Mr. Zukerman will join violinist Itzhak Perlman for performances of the two Brahms sextets in North America. Recitals with pianist Marc Neikrug take him to South Africa, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan. The duo will also give masterclasses and children's concert performances in conjunction with their U.S. and South African recital engagements, as part of Mr. Zukerman's commitment to the education of future classical music listeners and performers. Pinchas Zukerman is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of MasterVision International, Ltd. (www.arts4all.com), a company expanding the reach of the arts through the use of emerging and existing technology. As Artistic Director of the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program, he has pioneered the use of videoconferencing technology at the Manhattan School of Music as a distance learning tool to sustain the continuity and personal interaction with his students in New York while performing around the world.
A recipient of numerous awards, Mr. Zukerman has an honorary doctorate from Brown University and an Achievement Award from the International Center in New York. He acts as Artistic Director of the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music and has established a summer violin study program in the name of Ilona Feher in Holon, Israel. He was presented with the King Solomon Award by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and, in 1983, President Reagan presented him with a Medal of Arts for his leadership in the musical world. Pinchas Zukerman is married to actress Tuesday Weld and is the father of two daughters, Arianna and Natalia.
