What is Itzhak Perlman’s Net Worth?
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-American conductor, violinist, and music teacher who has a net worth of $60 million. Itzhak Perlman has performed around the world to sold-out audiences for decades. He has conducted the Westchester Philharmonic and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, among other orchestras, and has performed at such major events as President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. Perlman has won numerous Grammy Awards and has received a Medal of Liberty from President Reagan and a National Medal of Arts form President Clinton. Itzhak Perlman owns a highly valuable Stradivarius Violin that is worth millions, perhaps tens of millions of dollars.
Early Life and Education
Itzhak Perlman was born on August 31, 1945 in Tel Aviv in what was then Mandatory Palestine, now Israel. His parents were Shoshana and Chaim, Jewish natives from Poland who had immigrated separately in the mid-30s before later meeting and marrying. Perlman originally got interested in the violin when he heard a radio performance using the instrument. When he was three years old, he tried to get into the Shulamit Conservatory, but was denied admission on account of being too small to properly hold a violin. Consequently, Perlman taught himself how to play using a toy fiddle.
At the age of four, Perlman contracted polio; since then, he has walked with crutches and leg braces, and performs while seated. Eventually, he was admitted to the Shulamit Conservatory, and then to the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. At the latter institution, Perlman had his first recital. When he was 13, he moved to the United States to study violin under Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School.
Career Breakthroughs
Perlman first began receiving national recognition in the late 50s when he appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Later, in 1963, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall, and in 1964, won the prestigious Leventritt Competition. Perlman went on to tour prolifically over the ensuing years, and continued to appear on television on programs ranging from “Sesame Street” to “The Tonight Show.” He also performed at various White House events.
Albums
Perlman released his first albums, “Tradition” and “Duos,” in 1987. Five years later, he released “Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / 3 Violin Concertos.” His subsequent albums were 1995’s “The American Album” and “In the Fiddler’s House” and 1998’s “Holiday Tradition.” In 1999, Perlman released “Concertos from My Childhood,” a collection of pieces famously used in violin pedagogy. He didn’t put out another album until 2009, with “The Essential Itzhak Perlman.” This was followed by “Eternal Echoes: Songs and Dances for the Soul,” “Violin Sonatas,” and “The Perlman Sound.”
Beyond his solo work, Perlman released three albums with André Previn between 1975 and 1981: “The Easy Winners,” “A Different Kind of Blues,” and “It’s a Breeze.” Later, in 1994, he released the album “Side by Side” with Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
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Notable Performances
Among his myriad of notable high-profile performances, Perlman participated in the New York Philharmonic’s 100th anniversary celebration of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. The event was televised live on ABC. The following year, Perlman joined the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for concerts in Budapest, Warsaw, and other Eastern Bloc nations. He toured again with the IPO in 1990 for the company’s first performance in the Soviet Union, and then again in 1994 for concerts in India and China.
Perlman has frequently performed at major political events. In 2007, he played at the White House State Dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II. Two years later, in January of 2009, he performed at the presidential inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama alongside fellow musicians Yo-Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero.
Soloist Contributions
Over the course of his career, Perlman has contributed solos to the works of various other artists. On a 1981 recording of Puccini’s “Tosca,” he sang the role of the jailer. In 1989, he had an uncredited violin solo on Billy Joel’s song “The Downeaster Alexa.” Perlman has also done solos for numerous film scores, including John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score to “Schindler’s List.” In 2005, he and Yo-Yo Ma contributed solos to another John Williams score, for “Memoirs of a Geisha.”
Pedagogy
Perlman has a long career in teaching. In 1975, he began a faculty position at Brooklyn College’s Conservatory of Music. He later started teaching at the Juilliard School, and in 2003 was named its Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Chair in Violin Studies. Music instruction is also offered through the Perlman Music Program, which was founded in 1994 by Perlman’s wife Toby. Headquartered in Shelter Island, New York, the program offers residential summer classes to skilled string players between the ages of 12 and 18. Students also receive year-round mentoring and get to participate in performances. A chamber music workshop for musicians between 18 and 30 was added in 2003.
Conducting
Perlman began conducting in the early 2000s, first with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Next, he was a music advisor to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. In 2007, Perlman became the artistic director and principal conductor of the Westchester Philharmonic. He has also conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Honors and Awards
Perlman has earned a plethora of accolades for his work, including 15 Grammy Awards between 1977 and 1995. He later won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, Perlman was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Bill Clinton. Later, in 2015, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.
Personal Life
With his wife Toby, a fellow classically trained violinist, Perlman resides in New York City primarily. The couple has five children, including pianist and chamber musician Navah.
Real Estate
In 1990, Itzhak Perlman and his wife Toby Perelman paid $2.1 million for a massive brownstone mansion in New York City. Spanning 8,000 square-feet, the home has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms AND a 35-foot indoor pool! In April of 2022they put this home on the market for $17.5 million.,
They also own a home in the Hamptons. Their Hamptons property spans a little over 7 acres and features two mansions, two pools and a tennis court. The Hamptons property is potentially worth north of $30 million.