Happy 80th to Violinist Itzhak Perlman!

August 30, 2025, 8:13 PM · On Sunday the violin world celebrates the 80th birthday of one of its brightest stars: Itzhak Perlman!

Violinist Itzhak Perlman. Image courtesy Warner Classics.

Not only has Perlman has a stellar career as an international concert violinist and recording artist, but Perlman also has served as a teacher and mentor for many of today's finest young violinists through his professorship at Juilliard as well as the Perlman Music Program with his wife Toby. Add to that: he's simply a very affable and generous human, with a wry sense of humor that never stops.

We'll start this online birthday celebration with a short video made in Perlman's honor by violinist Kevin Zhu, a laureate of the Paganini and Menuhin Competitions who studied with Perlman at The Juilliard School:

Kevin is playing a "Happy Birthday Variation" written especially for the occasion of Perlman's birthday by Los Angeles violinist and studio recording concertmaster Bruce Dukov, whose original Birthday Variations were written for Nathan Milstein's 80th birthday back in 1984.

"As Itzhak celebrates his own 80th birthday, I felt compelled to honor him with a new variation," Dukov said. "My connection to Itzhak dates back to 1973, when I was studying the Sibelius Concerto with my teacher, Dorothy DeLay. She encouraged me to perform it for Itzhak and get his feedback on my interpretation. The session was both enlightening and unforgettable, and I truly believe it played a role in helping me win a national competition later that year."

"For this new variation, I’ve drawn inspiration from the third movement of the Sibelius Concerto—a piece that holds deep personal significance for me, and undoubtedly for Itzhak as well, given that it was one of his defining debut recordings."

If you know Perlman only as the violinist who recorded the beautiful and haunting violin solo in the movie Schindler's List - you a missing quite a lot of the story. Although, wow, come to think of it, let's listen to that, too:

Here is a little more about "Mr. P," as his students call him:

Born on August 31, 1945 in Israel, Perlman came to the United States at age 13 and immediately gained wide acclaim with a knock-your-socks-off performance of on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958 (he performed on the show several more times after that). He made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 18 and went on to become one of the most recorded violinists in history.

Perlman performing the last movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto on the Ed Sullivan Show on September 13, 1959. Wow, look at the ease!

Perlman also has spent a lifetime advocating for people with disabilities and campaigning for universal polio vaccinations, having lived without the ability to walk since age four due to polio.

Perlman's recording legacy has been truly staggering and of the highest quality - among other awards, his recordings earned him 16 Grammys and four Emmys, as well as the 2008 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Warner Classics is celebrating Perlman's birthday by releasing a massive 78-CD set featuring all the recordings Perlman made for EMI Classics, Teldec, Erato, and Warner Classics over a period of more than 40 years, with a who's who list of collaborators that includes Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink, Lynn Harrell, Yo-Yo Ma, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn and Pinchas Zukerman. Click here for more about that.

I invite you to share your congratulatory wishes for the maestro, as well as your thoughts, memories, Youtube links in the comments. Again, happy birthday to Itzhak Perlman!

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Replies

Sparsh Dabholkar

August 31, 2025 at 02:29 PM · Thank you for sharing!

Jake Watson

August 31, 2025 at 06:15 PM · Happy birthday maestro!

Sander Marcus

August 31, 2025 at 07:58 PM · Maestro Perlman: If anyone deserves to have a wonderful 80th birthday celebration, I can't imagine who other than you that might be. Being only a few years older than you, and being a life-long amateur violinist and lover of classical music all my life, I can say that I have a lifetime of appreciation of you as a person and as a great artist.

When I was a kid, my mother was the secretary to a then world-famous Chicago pediatric neurologist who was then one of the world's leading authorities on cerebral palsy, so I grew up with a real awareness of this kind of medical problem and how it can impact someone's life from day one.

And so, I have been aware of your medical and musical triumphs for most of my life. Thank you, and bless you.

Richard Pairaudeau

August 31, 2025 at 08:39 PM · Many happy returns, Maestro Perlman, and thank you Sander, for your beautiful personal tribute.

Ka Lung (Andy) Fong

September 1, 2025 at 03:33 AM · Happy birthday Maestro Perlman!

Nickie McNichols

September 1, 2025 at 09:27 PM · Happy birthday Itzhak! He was the first classical violinist I ever heard. He hooked me on classical music that very day.

Laurie Niles

September 2, 2025 at 02:48 AM · Nickie, so many people say that! I have spoken to more than a few accomplished young violinists who told me that they started violin because they saw Mr. Perlman when he appeared on Sesame Street! He appeared a number of times on Sesame, but this is the one that always deeply moves me: