“Access means getting to a place where everybody else gets to, so you don't have to make special calls to warn them of your arrival.” —Itzhak Perlman
When you hear Itzhak Perlman’s music, you might guess he was born with a violin in hand—that the music he brings forth from the strings is something he’s done all his life. And you wouldn’t be far off the mark.
Born in 1945 in Tel Aviv, Israel, by age 3, Itzhak Perlman had fallen in love with the classical performances he heard on the radio. By 13, he had performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. From there, Itzhak Perlman hit the international music scene and, at the age of 18, he began studying at the Julliard School. Today, audiences around the world recognize his face and his music. Itzhak Perlman has achieved a super-virtuoso star status rarely afforded classical musicians.
Looking Past Disability
And he’s done it all with a disability that many consider to be an obstacle: When he was 4 years old, Itzhak Perlman was diagnosed with polio and, as a result, his legs are now paralyzed.
“My being disabled with polio basically did not do anything to make my career better or worse,” Itzhak Perlman told The Early Show. “What it did cause was challenges in the very beginning. Some critics couldn’t shut their eyes and open their ears. And they had to look at, ‘He’s walking with crutches. He’s sitting down. He couldn’t be that good. Maybe he’s good. Maybe it’s good for somebody who is disabled.’ Whatever it is, it’s gone. I think that I’m accepted.”
If his career is any indicator, Itzhak Perlman has moved far beyond mere acceptance. In recent years, he has begun conducting in addition to playing and earned the post of principal guest conductor for Detroit’s Symphony Orchestra. In November 2007, the Westchester Philharmonic appointed Itzhak Perlman artistic director and principal conductor. His debut performance leading the orchestra was in October of 2008.
Disability Out for All to See
Itzhak Perlman doesn’t consider himself superhuman because of all that he’s accomplished with a disability. He considers himself utterly human; he has spoken about his hardships as if they are the same ones anyone might face. Yet getting on stage is no small task for Itzhak Perlman.
He commands the attention of every audience member before he even begins playing—as he majestically makes his way to his chair, sits down, removes his leg braces and sets his crutches down. He puts one foot behind him, one out in front and picks up his violin.
His die-hard fans know the routine and eagerly await the moment when Itzhak Perlman will signal the conductor that he’s ready to play. But during one memorable performance, the ritual was interrupted when a string on his violin broke. To the surprise of everyone at New York City’s Lincoln Center that night, Perlman did not leave the stage to retrieve an alternate violin or a new string.
Instead, he signaled the conductor again and began to play again, somehow changing and recomposing the music as he went along. He finished to a hushed room that quickly rose to thunderous cheers and deafening applause.
“Sometimes, it's the artist’s task to find out how much music you can make with what you still have left,” Perlman said when the room quieted.
His approach to life and his humble demeanor remind us to transcend appearances, stereotypes, and so-called disabilities and open our ears to the world’s most beautiful music.
