Isaac Stern

Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) is widely considered one of the finest violin virtuosi of the twentieth century.

Born in Kremenetz, Ukraine, his family moved to San Francisco when he was ten months

Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) is widely considered one of the finest violin virtuosi of the twentieth century.

Born in Kremenetz, Ukraine, his family moved to San Francisco when he was ten months old. He received his first music lessons from his mother before enrolling at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1928. There he studied the violin with Nahum Blinder. At his public début on February 18, 1936 he played Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra, conducted by Pierre Monteux.