Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, 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.

Having performed with every major orchestra and at concert halls around the globe, Perlman was granted a Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—by President Obama in 2015, a National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 2000, and a Medal of Liberty by President Reagan in 1986. Perlman has been honored with 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Genesis Prize. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in February 1969 at the War Memorial Opera House, made his Davies Symphony Hall debut in 1982, and returns next March to lead a special program with the Orchestra.

In the 2025–26 season, Perlman celebrates his 80th birthday season with a variety of programs. He brings his iconic PBS special In the Fiddler’s House program to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Santa Barbara, and Davis in celebration of the program’s 30th anniversary, alongside today’s klezmer stars. His orchestral engagements include Cinema Serenade programs with the Cleveland Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic. He also makes a special appearance with the Colorado Symphony at Carnegie Hall. He continues touring An Evening with Itzhak Perlman, which captures highlights of his career through narrative and multimedia elements intertwined with performance, and plays recitals across the United States with longtime collaborator Rohan De Silva.

For more than 30 years, Perlman has been devoted to music education, mentoring gifted young string players alongside his wife, Toby, in the Perlman Music Program. He has taught at the program each summer since its founding in 1994. With close to 800 alumni, PMP is shaping the future landscape of classical music worldwide. Perlman holds the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Chair at the Juilliard School and has an exclusive series of classes with Masterclass.com as the company’s first classical-music presenter.