Earlier this Summer Supreme Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hosted her bi-annual “Musicale at the Court” with special guests Itzhak Perlman and Rohan De Silva.

Justice John Roberts closed the performance with remarks on how he wanted attendees to read the 10-page Brown vs. Board of Education opinion, it was the anniversary of that decision, according to a Playbooker in attendance.

Brown versus Board of Education (1954) (full name Oliver Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas) was a Landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Two of the greatest violinists of our time – perhaps of all time – is one of the classical season’s hottest ticket.

The two Israeli masters — both graduates of The Julliard School — have performed together since 1977. The two differ in style and temperament but always play together beautifully. They will be performing with pianist and longtime collaborator Rohan De Silva. Program to include Bach, Mozart, Wieniawski and Bartók.

“Perlman and Zukerman are naturally sympatico, and their easy, conversational complicity—and gorgeous combined sound.” —OTTAWA CITIZEN

November 18, 2017 at 7:30pm: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark NJ
November 19, 2017 at 5pm: Celebrity Series of Boston/Symphony Hall, Boston MA
February 25, 2018 at 8pm: Adrienne Arsht Center/Knight Concert Hall, Miami FL
February 26, 2018 at 8pm: Kravis Center/Dreyfoos Concert Hall, West Palm Beach FL

Itzhak Perlman returns to the Alys Stephens Center stage as the star of the 2017 VIVA HEALTH Starlight Gala on Sunday, May 21, 2017, 6 PM.

He is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to his irrepressible joy for making music. Perlman has been honored with 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Genesis Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor in 2015. Tickets include a pre-performance cocktail reception. A VIP dinner is also available. To purchase the VIP package, call our Development Office at 205 975 4012. BUY TICKETS

Itzhak Perlman returns to the Overture Center for Arts on Saturday. April 29, 2017. It’s been five years since his last sold out performance. His longtime pianist, Rohan DeSilva will be joining him in recital.

The violinist’s Madison program will feature works by a variety of composers. Selections include: Vivaldi’s “Sonata in A Major for Violin Continuo Op. 2 No. 2,” Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 1 in D Major for Violin and Piano Op. 12 No. 1”, Schumann’s “Fantasiestücke Op. 73,” and Ravel’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in G Major.”

Perlman also likely will perform a few other pieces that he will announce from the stage during the program. Certainly, they will only be from composers whose work he admires.
“My first falling-in-love-with composer was Brahms,” the violinist says. “When I was young I thought his work was amazing. READ MORE

Recently Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined Itzhak and Toby Perlman to announce the seventeen Genesis Prize winners of the Itzhak Perlman’s Breaking Barriers Competition to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of Jewish communal life.
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“The work of Itzhak Perlman and the Genesis Prize gives hope for the next generation of activists and artists and spotlights the importance of universal Jewish values,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the ceremony.

The competition is a part of the Breaking Barriers initiative, funded by the prize money awarded to Genesis Prize laureate Perlman and supported by Matan – United Way Israel and the Jewish Funders Network.

“People with disabilities are citizens who deserve equal rights,” Perlman said at Sunday’s ceremony. “If we fight for their rights, we can expand their opportunities and we will give them the tools to contribute to society – this is the Israel we all want to see for ourselves and our children.”

The array of winners were mostly from the musical world, with organizations like the Vertigo Dance Association, the Orna Porat theater and the Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna among the group of honorees.

This is keeping with Perlman’s two passions: inclusiveness for all and a love of music.

Matan – United Way Israel will help distribute the prize money (totaling NIS 3.2 million) to the various organizations and, along with Perlman and the Genesis Prize Foundation, helped select the winners after over 70 applications were received.

Ahuva Yanai, CEO of Matan – United Way Israel, said, “I’m grateful to the Genesis Prize and maestro Itzhak Perlman for entrusting that we will stay true to the vision of selecting organizations that connect both advocating for disabilities and the classical arts. At Matan, we feel we have a special responsibility to help organizations create change for the advancement of Israeli society as a whole and especially for those with special needs.”

Sana Britavsky, deputy CEO of the Genesis Prize Foundation, agreed, saying, “The uniqueness of Itzhak Perlman’s initiative is that the selected projects aim to raise the standards of cultural content provided to the disabled in Israel as high as possible.

These are courageous initiatives that aspire to use art as a tool to expose the full spiritual potential of those with disabilities – for their benefit and for the benefit of all of Israeli society.

“Encouraging excellence and repairing the world are integral parts of the vision of the Genesis Prize,” she added.

Genesis Prize committee chairman and Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky said,“Thank you to Itzhak Perlman for giving all these Israeli organizations a chance to let their participants connect to the rest of society. His leadership strengthens the Genesis Prize’s message to show that connecting with your Jewish roots is more relevant than ever.”

Reprinted from The Jerusalem Post by Noa Amouyal