Isaac Stern
Must Know
1920-2001 American virtuoso violinist. Born in Krements, Russia (today Ukraine), he moved to San Francisco as a baby, and began playing the violin at age 8. He enrolled at the San Francisco Conservatory, and debuted with the San Francisco Symphony in 1935. Stern played in hundreds of concerts worldwide and was the first American to perform in the Soviet Union after World War II. Stern recorded many concerts of different composers and supported young musicians. He helped save Carnegie Hall from demolition and several other social and political issues. He played with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra many times and was named Honorary Fellow of Beit Hatfutsot in 1996.
