
Pinchas Zuckerman was born in 1948 in Tel Aviv, Israel. He studied music with his father from a very young age, experimenting with various instruments before settling on the violin. He came to the United States in 1962 (age 13) with financial support from violinist Isaac Stern, cellist Pablo Casals, and several charitable foundations. He studied at the Juilliard School, taking the first place award in the highly prestigious Edgar Leventritt Competition in 1967. His career has continued unabated for more than 40 years, marked by notable performances with major orchestras around the world. Zuckerman has also made a name for himself as a conductor and music director, oftentimes appearing in the dual role of performer and orchestra leader while playing any number of well-known violin concertos.
From 1980–87, Zuckerman was music director for the St. Paul [Minn.] Chamber Orchestra and a primary catalyst in that ensemble’s rise to prominence as one of the best small orchestras in the United States. In addition, he ran summer music festivals for both the Baltimore Symphony and the Dallas Symphony for three seasons each, as well as the South Bank Festival in London. Zuckerman is also an accomplished chamber musician, having appeared alongside such famous soloists as Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman, Daniel Barenboim, and the late Jacqueline du Pré. He is a regular participant at the Santa Fe [N.M.] Chamber Music Festival and created the Zuckerman Chamber Players in 2003. The group has performed in more than 40 venues since its formation and has recorded several CDs.
In April 1998, Zuckerman was named music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) in Ottawa, Canada. He is the first non-Canadian to hold that post since the orchestra’s inception in 1969. He is also a member of the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and he operates the Zuckerman Musical Instrument Fund, which is dedicated to helping orchestra musicians acquire affordable instruments. Zuckerman has more than 100 recordings to his credit—five with the NACO—and has received 21 Grammy Award nominations, winning twice. His television appearances have included several performances on Live from Lincoln Center as well as the PBS special Mozart by the Masters. Zuckerman married Amanda Forsyth in 2004. She is the principal cellist for the NACO and the daughter of composer Malcolm Forsyth. He was formerly married to professional musician and novelist Eugenia Zuckerman [1968–1983], and actress Tuesday Weld [1985–1998]. Zuckerman plays a violin built in 1742 by Guarnerius del Gesù.
Zuckerman performs the final movement of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Israel Philharmonic (Zubin Mehta, conductor):




