Pinchas Zukerman, violin legend, to headline four Gstaad evenings in July

Legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman is returning to the Gstaad festival in Switzerland for four evenings in July, marking a significant cultural event for classical music enthusiasts. He is scheduled to open the festival on July 16 and 17, performing Mozart's "Concerto no. 3" and "Symphonie concertante for violin and viola."

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Yes! I am very happy to cross bows with Daniel… forty-three years after that famous autograph he reminds me he signed for me on his tenth birthday at the Olden restaurant!

Zukerman expressed his excitement about collaborating with violinist Daniel Hope, noting their long-standing friendship. He recalled a moment from 1983 when Hope, then just ten years old, asked for an autograph at the Olden restaurant. Zukerman's previous appearances at Gstaad include a recital dedicated to Brahms in Saanen in 1983 and a performance with the English Chamber Orchestra a decade later, where he played Beethoven's Concerto and conducted Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin" and Schubert's 3rd Symphony.

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Music has always been there. First at home, where my father Yehuda – originally from Poland and a survivor of the Shoah like my mother Miriam – taught me the recorder, the clarinet, then the violin.

Reflecting on his musical origins, Zukerman shared that music has always been an integral part of his life. His father, Yehuda, a klezmer virtuoso and Holocaust survivor, taught him various instruments, including the violin, and often performed at local events like weddings and bar mitzvahs. Zukerman began playing the violin at age seven and a half, crediting his family's deep cultural roots and tradition for instilling a profound connection to music.

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I started the violin quite late, around the age of 7 and a half, but armed with the most precious baggage: this tradition, this cultural anchor that permeates my entire family.

His journey led him to the United States in 1962 at the age of 14 to pursue further studies. Zukerman acknowledged the transformative nature of this move, attributing his early success to his teacher, Ilona Feher, and influential mentors like Isaac Stern. Stern's guidance was particularly crucial, helping Zukerman enroll in Ivan Galamian's renowned class at the Juilliard School and connect with artists such as Pablo Casals and Leonard Rose. Stern's advice to "be an 'sponge'" during the vibrant sixties in New York encouraged Zukerman to absorb every available musical experience, often attending up to three concerts in a single day.

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It was a real change of life. I was lucky, instrumentally speaking, to have been prepared beforehand by one of the best pedagogues there is, Ilona Feher.