Itzhak Perlman, one of the most sought-after classical musicians in the world, returns to Hodgson Concert Hall with pianist Rohan De Silva on April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Their program includes music by Beethoven and Schumann, as well short showpieces to be announced from the stage. This UGA Presents performance is sold out.
While the performance is sold out, patrons may check for tickets online or contact the box office at 706-542-4400 in case tickets become available. The validity of tickets purchased from outlets other than the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center box office cannot be guaranteed.
Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences around the globe who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to his irrepressible joy for making music.
Having performed with every major orchestra and at concert halls worldwide, Perlman was granted a Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor — by President Barack Obama in 2015, a Kennedy Center Honor in 2003, a National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton in 2000, and a Medal of Liberty by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Perlman has been honored with 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Genesis Prize.
In the 2022-23 season, Perlman conducts the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and the Houston Symphony in Mozart’s “Requiem,” and is joined by an illustrious group of collaborators—Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Juilliard String Quartet—in a special “Itzhak Perlman and Friends” program appearing in only three locations: Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, UMS Ann Arbor and Carnegie Hall.
He continues touring “An Evening with Itzhak Perlman,” which captures highlights of his career through narrative and multimedia elements intertwined with performance, to Boston, Philadelphia, Long Island, Akron, Austin, and Naples (Florida). He plays season-opening concerts for the Colorado Symphony, Vancouver Symphony and Florida Orchestra, and recitals across the United States with De Silva, his longtime collaborator.
De Silva has partnered with every notable violinist on the concert stage today. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and at the White House at the invitation of President Barack Obama in 2012 for Shimon Peres; and at a State Dinner in 2007 hosted by President George W. Bush for Queen Elizabeth. A native of Sri Lanka, De Silva was invited in 2015 by the Prime Minister of his country to perform for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on his historic visit to Sri Lanka.
In the 2022-23 season, De Silva plays recitals with Perlman across North America in Davis, San Francisco, Modesto, Palm Desert, Mesa, San Antonio, Houston, Knoxville, through the state of Florida, and in New York. De Silva teaches at the Juilliard School and at the Heifetz International Music Institute in Staunton, Virginia.
De Silva began his piano studies with his mother, Primrose De Silva, and with Mary Billimoria. He spent six years at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and received many awards including the Grover Bennett Scholarship, the Christian Carpenter Prize, the Martin Music Scholarship, the Harold Craxton Award, and the Chappell Gold Medal for best overall performance. De Silva was the first recipient of a special scholarship in the arts from the President’s Fund of Sri Lanka. This enabled him to enter the Juilliard School, studying with Martin Canin, Felix Galimir, and violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. He was awarded Best Accompanist at the Ninth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and received the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artist Award presented to him by Perlman at Carnegie Hall.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.