Itzhak Perlman News

New Repertory Theatre presents Two Jews Walk into a War…, April 28-May 20, 2018 in the MainStage Theater at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. Tickets are $37-$67 and may be purchased by calling the New Rep Box Office at 617-923-8487 or visiting newrep.org. Student, senior, and group discounts are available.

A new Southbank Centre exhibition, Concrete Dreams, is announced today, bringing to life the creative spirit of iconic arts venues, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room and celebrating their public reopening after two years of extensive restoration and redesign.

The Adelphi Orchestra, now in its 64th season of Music for All, presents 'Bohemian Rhapsody' under the baton of Principal Conductor Richard Owen on Sunday May 13th at 7:00 PM, Good Shepherd Faith Presbyterian Church, NYC.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Bach's complete Brandenburg Concertos May 17–20 in Newark, Princeton, Red Bank and New Brunswick. Concertmaster Eric Wyrick explores performance practices from Baroque to contemporary as he leads his colleagues. NJSO musicians perform solo roles in the six concertos, each of which is scored for a different combination of instruments.

American soprano Kathleen Battle's luminous voice has been called '…without qualification, one of the very few most beautiful in the world' (The Washington Post ). Yet beyond the glory of her singing, in a career filled with countless accolades, honors and major milestones, what has perhaps distinguished her most is her almost magical ability to create an unwavering bond with her audience. Returning to Seattle for the first time in two decades, the legendary opera star takes the stage at the University of Washington's Meany Hall on April 14, 2018, to explore traditional spirituals and the writings of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. She is joined by acclaimed jazz pianist Joel Martin and local choirs The Sound of the Northwest and UW Chamber Singers.

Itzhak Perlman, one of the world's great violinists, returns to Mayo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 21 at 8 pm. Tickets are 79-$129.

From Schubert to Strauss, Bach to Brahms, Mozart to…Billy Joel, Itzhak Perlman's violin playing transcends mere performance to evoke the celebrations and struggles of real life; “praying with the violin,” says renowned Tel Aviv violinmaker Amnon Weinstein. Alison Chernick's enchanting documentary looks beyond the sublime musician to see the polio survivor whose parents emigrated from Poland to Israel, and the young man who struggled to be taken seriously as a music student when schools saw only his disability.

A new Southbank Centre exhibition, Concrete Dreams, is announced today, bringing to life the creative spirit of iconic arts venues, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room and celebrating their public reopening after two years of extensive restoration and redesign.

Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez is quickly establishing a reputation and earning praise as a versatile artist who combines poetic vivacity with graceful definition.  She brings her diverse program, featuring Beethoven, Granados, Dan Visconti, Adam Schoenberg and Ginastera to The Edye at The Broad Stage on Saturday, April 7 at 8:00pm.

The National Philharmonic celebrates the genius of Johannes Brahms at Strathmore with a performance by Grammy and Sphinx Competition award winner, American violinist Melissa White, in "Spirited Brahms." White will perform Brahms' Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 under the baton of Philharmonic Music Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski.  Also on the program is Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98, which is stored in its original condition in the U.S. Library of Congress.

Academy Award-nominee, Angela Bassett will join Kathleen Battle as a guest narrator in Battle's program Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey accompanied by pianist Joel Martin and the LA-based choir, The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) on Thursday, March 29 at 8:00pm.

The Klezmatics, known for their unique blend of melodic mysticism and improvisational activism, return to The Broad Stage to turn their music inside out on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30pm. Performing alongside the "Prince of Kosher Gospel," Joshua Nelson, this evening will expose the complexity of Jewish identity, Black identity and human identity.

After an almost thirty-year tenure, cellist Ronald Leonard has retired from the Colburn School. While his contributions to Colburn have been extraordinary, the impact he has had on his colleagues and generations of young artists worldwide has been beyond measure. The Colburn School will celebrate Leonard's six decades as a distinguished orchestral performer, chamber musician, and educator with a special tribute on April 9, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. in Zipper Hall.

The Juilliard School announced today that it has received a bequest from Academy Award-winning composer and conductor John Williams of his complete library of concert music and film music scores as well as his sketchbooks. Mr. Williams, who studied piano with longtime Juilliard faculty member Rosina Lhevinne, announced the gift at a special alumni event held in Los Angeles at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, where Mr. Williams was also presented with a President's Medal by Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi.

American soprano Kathleen Battle's luminous voice has been called by The Washington Post "...without qualification, one of the very few most beautiful in the world."  Yet beyond the glory of her singing, in a career filled with countless accolades, honors and major milestones, what has perhaps distinguished her most is her almost magical ability to create an unwavering emotional bond between herself, her music and her audience.  On Thursday, March 29 at 8pm, that special bond will be on full display when Ms. Battle makes her debut at The Soraya with Kathleen Battle: Underground Railroad-A Spiritual Journey accompanied by pianist Joel Martin and the LA-based choir, The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers.

The National Philharmonic celebrates the genius of Johannes Brahms at Strathmore with a performance by Grammy and Sphinx Competition award winner, American violinist Melissa White, in "Spirited Brahms." White will perform Brahms' Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 under the baton of Philharmonic Music Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski.  Also on the program is Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98, which is stored in its original condition in the U.S. Library of Congress. White is a founding member of the highly acclaimed New York-based Harlem Quartet and a first-prize laureate in the Sphinx Competition, which encourages, develops, and recognizes classical music talent in the Black and Latino communities. She performed on the CD Hot House, that won Grammy Awards in 2013 as well as performing for the Obama's in the White House. The concert will take place Saturday, March 17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 18, at 3 p.m., at Strathmore's Concert Hall. Audiences will enjoy a members-only encore question-and-answer, and a kids "Meet the Instruments" session that will take place in the orchestra lobby on Sunday from 2-2:30 p.m., allowing young concertgoers a chance to interact with Philharmonic musicians and explore orchestral instruments from different families (string, wood, brass, and percussion).Ticket prices are $23-$76 and are free for young people age 7-17. Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301.581.5100.

Praised for its "panache" by The New York Times, the Harlem Quartet is "bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent," says the Cincinnati Enquirer.  That new attitude will be on display when the Harlem Quartet returns to the Soraya and Younes Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) and teams up with honor students from CSUN's Samuel Goldberg Honors String Quartet. This free concert will be performed on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30pm in the intimate 500-seat Plaza del Sol Performance Hall situated alongside The Soraya on the CSUN campus.

The press has called Tony Award-nominated director, Broadway actress and singer Eleanor Reissa the "Yiddish Beyonce." Yiddish movies have been showcased at Sundance and film festivals world-wide. Mario "Moishele" Alfonso teases audience with his lecture entitled, "Making Yiddish Sexy Again." Some 5,000 Yiddish words are now officially part of the English language.

Due to an emergency medical procedure, Itzhak Perlman, who was scheduled to perform with Pinchas Zukerman and Rohan De Silva at the Kravis Center on Monday February 26, regrets that he is unable to appear for the performance. The performance has been cancelled.