Conversation with Itzhak Perlman

I play, I conduct, and I teach, so I'm having a good time," observes Itzhak Perlman. Of course, when the violin virtuoso uses the word play , that's an understatement. At age three, Perlman heard a concert on the radio and asked his father for a violin. Months later, he contracted polio and lost the use of his legs. He walks with crutches and performs while seated. Throughout his career, he's maintained a rigorous travel schedule, appearing at venues far beyond the concert halls of the United States and Western Europe. In 1987, he joined a groundbreaking tour with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Hungary and Poland, and three years later performed in the orchestra's first concert in the Soviet Union. He toured China and India in 1994. For full story, click on Itzhak Perlman