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Violinist Isaac Stern Died in 2001, Aged 81

September 22, 2024

2 MIN READ

Polish-born American violinist is universally considered to be one of the greatest musicians of all time

Isaac Stern was born to Solomon and Clara Stern in Kremenets, Poland (now Ukraine), into a Jewish family. When he was 14 months old, his family fled with him from the Russian Revolution, settling in San Francisco in 1921.

Both parents were musical; his mother, a former student at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, began teaching him piano at six and later switched to violin when he turned eight.

In 1928, Stern’s parents enrolled him at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied until 1931 before briefly continuing his studies in New York with Louis Persinger. He returned to the San Francisco Conservatory for five years of instruction with Naoum Blinder, the concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony, whom he credited as his greatest influence.

Stern's debut was on February 18, 1936, at the age of 15, performing Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor with the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Pierre Monteux. Two years later, he performed Brahms' Violin Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony which catapulted his career into action.

In 1940, Stern teamed up with pianist Alexander Zakin, a fruitful collaboration of 37 years. Within the music community, Stern gained recognition not only for his recordings but also for championing new talent, he is credited with discovering Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, and Itzhak Perlman.

In 1951, Stern toured the Soviet Union, the first American violinist to do so, although, in 1967, Stern vowed not to return to the USSR until the Soviet regime allowed artists to enter and leave the country freely.

Stern earned widespread recognition for his accomplishments, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, six GRAMMY Awards, and induction into the French Legion of Honour. The Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall is named in his honor, a testament to his efforts to save the venue from being demolished in the 1960s.

Stern's instrument of choice was the Ysaÿe Guarnerius, a violin crafted by the Cremonese luthier Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. This particular violin had previously been played by the renowned violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe.