Jacques Israelievitch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jacques Israelievitch (born in Cannes, France) is a French violinist.

At 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory. He went on to study at the Paris National Conservatory, receiving three first prizes at age 16. He also studied at Indiana University with Josef Gingold, János Starker, William Primrose and Menahem Pressler.

Israelievitch also performs as a soloist and chamber musician. In 1972, Sir George Solti appointed him as Assistant Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony, making him the youngest member of the orchestra. He then served as Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony. He has served as Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since 1988.

He has recorded works by Ludwig van Beethoven and R. Murray Schafer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, violin works by Edvard Grieg, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. His CD "Suite Hebraique" was nominated for a Juno award. Other CD's include "Suite Enfantine", "Suite Fantaisie", "Suite Française", and "Solo Suite". Current recording projects include the complete recording of the 42 Kreutzer Etudes, the first of its kind.

In 1999, Jacques Israelievitch and his son, Michael (a percussionist) formed the Israelievitch Duo. They have commissioned and premiered works by distinguished contemporary composers including Michael Colgrass, Srul Irving Glick and Murray Adaskin. The CD "Hammer and Bow" is the Israelivitch Duo's first full length CD.

He has taught at Indiana University, and is a Faculty Member of the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music. During the summer, he teaches Violin and Chamber Music at the Chatauqua Institution.

In 1995, Israelievitch was knighted by the French government into the order of Arts and Letters. In 2004, he was promoted to the honorable status of Officer.