A biography for Itzhak Perlmanhasn’t been written yet.
“You get more nervous in front of a lot of people. That's why, when you play a concerto, you play with a small orchestra, in some place where you don't feel that it is as important as Carnegie Hall.”
“I look at raising funds for The Perlman Music Program as a challenge and as a way to provide opportunities for people who care about the future of classical music.”
“I have just one fiddle. It works, and that's it. It has been an old friend.”
“'Kol Nidrei' is probably the most important prayer in the Jewish religion. It comes on the evening of Yom Kippur. There are so many different renditions of it.”
“I am humbled and honored to receive the Genesis Prize, recognizing not just my professional achievements and my desire to improve the world, but also my commitment to my Jewish identity, Jewish values, and Jewish culture.”
“That's the goal, to survive your gift.”
“There is no such thing as getting rid of nervousness.”
“A sponge has that much absorbent capability and after a while you can pour water over it and nothing stays.”
“For every child prodigy that you know about, at least 50 potential ones have burned out before you even heard about them.”
“I have a very simple philosophy. One has to separate the abilities from the disabilities. The fact I cannot walk, that I need crutches or a scooter or whatever it is, has nothing to do with my playing the violin.”
“If you put your hand on the piano, you play a note. It's in tune. But if you put it on the violin, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. You have to figure it out.”
“It is good medicine to go to a concert hall and forget the harshness of what's going on. It can be a very positive thing.”
“I always find Bach to be an expression of a love of life. There's an enthusiasm that's absolutely contagious.”
“I'm an acoustical person.”
“I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just beating time.”
“I'm a mushroom freak. I make a mushroom soup where I use maybe six or seven varieties, not just portobello and shiitake, but dried porcini and morels.”
“My oldest daughter is a pianist; she plays concerts. We play together, also.”
“Access Living is a powerful voice for people in the Chicago area who live with disabilities.”
“I actually wanted to play the violin before I had polio, and then afterwards, there was no reason not to.”
“I met my wife in music camp. She's got great ears, and we have a relationship where she's not afraid to tell me anything. If something's going on in my playing, she will tell me about it, and that's very, very important.”