One of the ten most influential violinists and cellists in the 20th Century

Winner of two Grammy Awards

Pinchas Zukerman has been recognized as a phenomenon for nearly four decades. His musical genius and prodigious technique have long been a marvel to critics and audiences, and his exceptional artistic standards continue to earn him the highest acclaim. His devotion to younger generations of musicians who are inspired by his magnetism has been applauded worldwide. Equally respected as a violinist, violist, conductor, pedagogue and chamber musician, Pinchas Zukerman is indeed a master of our time.

Appointed Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1998, Pinchas Zukerman is the fifth conductor to lead the 46-member, classical-sized ensemble, which was founded in 1969 as the resident orchestra of the newly opened National Arts Centre. Mr. Zukerman is deeply committed to enriching the Orchestra’s cultural involvement within the region, and since his appointment has taken an interest in virtually every aspect of Ottawa’s artistic community. He has made five recordings with the Orchestra, introduced a new Acoustic Control System to the NAC's Southam Hall, been involved in a number of national radio and television broadcasts and initiated the NAC Young Artists Programme as part of the summer's Great Composers Festival.

In addition to his position with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Mr. Zukerman chairs the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music. To maintain close relationships with his students while fulfilling the travel demands of his concert engagements, Mr. Zukerman has pioneered the use of distance-learning technology in the arts.

Pinchas Zukerman performs regularly with the world’s finest orchestras and has held numerous artistic positions. From 1980 to 1987, he was Music Director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and became instrumental in bringing that ensemble to international prominence. He also served as Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Summer MusicFest for three years, London’s South Bank Festival for three years and the Dallas Symphony’s International Summer Music Festival for three years. Mr. Zukerman was Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for two years.

A frequent chamber music performer, Pinchas Zukerman has appeared regularly with such luminaries of the music world as Daniel Barenboim, Vladmir Ashkenazy, Itzhak Perlman, the Orion and Tokyo String Quartets, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Ralph Kirshbaum, Yefim Bronfman, Lynn Harrell, Marc Neikrug and the late Jacqueline du Pré. Each summer, he performs at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, where he also participates in educational outreach activities within the community. Mr. Zukerman appears in April 2007 with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio at Carnegie Hall and Princeton’s McCarter Theatre, in celebration of that ensemble’s 30th anniversary season. He recently formed the Zukerman ChamberPlayers, an ensemble which has performed for the past four seasons at such prestigious overseas venues as the BBC Proms, Concertgebouw, Tivoli, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier, Harrogate and Tuscan Sun Music Festivals. In North America, the group has garnered critical acclaim for concerts at the Ravinia, Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals and at Parry Sound and Domaine Forget in Canada. This season the group brings its artistry for the first time to New York in a three-concert series with guest artists at the 92nd Street Y, in addition to its Kennedy Center debut and concerts in Philadelphia, Seattle and Calgary. The Zukerman ChamberPlayers’ debut recording for CBC Records, Mozart-Zukerman, was nominated for a 2004 Juno Award in the “Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble” category. A second disc featuring string quintets of Brahms and Mozart was released on Altara in spring 2006, with two additional recordings on that same label due out this season.

Pinchas Zukerman's extensive discography contains over 100 titles, and has earned him 21 Grammy nominations and two awards: "Best Chamber Music Performance" in 1980 and "Best Classical Performance, Instrumental Soloist With Orchestra" in 1981. Mr. Zukerman’s first recording as Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra was a 1999 CBC Records release of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons in which he is featured as conductor and violinist. An earlier recording of three Haydn works on BMG Classics, which he made as guest conductor of the Orchestra in 1993, was re-released in 1998 in honor of his appointment. In 2000, CBC Records released Mr. Zukerman's first-ever recording of Beethoven Symphonies - Nos. 1 and 2 - along with the Romance No. 2 in F Major, followed by discs of Schubert works in 2002 and Mozart in 2003. Prior releases on BMG Classics/RCA Victor Red Seal include the complete violin/piano and viola/piano repertoire of Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart and Schumann with pianist Marc Neikrug. Earlier recordings are also available on the Angel, CBS, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, London and Philips labels.

Repretoire:

Schubert: Sonatine in D, D 384 

Kodaly：Duo for violin and Cello

Mozart：Divertimento in E flat Major for String Trio, KV 563

Remarks: Tickets for Pinchas Zukerman Asia Tour Beijing Concert are available now!