“I am humbled and honored to receive the Genesis Prize, recognizing not just my professional achievements and my desire to improve the world, but also my commitment to my Jewish identity, Jewish values, and Jewish culture,” said Itzhak Perlman. “I have always been very proud of my Jewish heritage, which has greatly influenced my music, my world view, and my work as an advocate for individuals whom society often leaves behind.”
“Itzhak is a true citizen of the world,” said Len Blavatnik, Founder and Chairman of Access industries, which owns Warner Music Group. “He has not only moved millions of listeners with his transcendent music, but he has changed countless lives through his passionate commitment to the Jewish community, to those in need across the globe, and to young musical talent. This is a richly deserved recognition of an extraordinary artist and an exceptional human being.”
“As a musician, as well as a community leader, we’re incredibly proud of everything Itzhak has accomplished,” said Alain Lanceron, President, Warner Classics. “I speak for the entire Warner Classics team when I say it is a privilege to work alongside such an esteemed individual. Congratulations, Itzhak.”
Itzhak Perlman intends to direct the prize money to initiatives about which he is passionate, including improving access for individuals with disabilities and developing young musicians of rare and special talent. Further details of Perlman’s plans for directing the Genesis Prize award will be announced in February.
The announcement of his Genesis Prize award comes on the heels of Itzhak Perlman’s receipt of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 25. Two other US presidents – Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton – have previously recognized Perlman by awarding him the Medal of Liberty and the National Medal of Arts in 1986 and 2000, respectively. Perlman has also won multiple Grammy Awards for this musicianship, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. To view Itzhak Perlman’s full biography, visit the Genesis Prize website at www.genesisprize.org/laureates/laureate-2016.
The inaugural Genesis Prize was awarded in 2014 to New York Mayor and one of the world’s leading philanthropists, Michael Bloomberg. Academy-award winning actor, producer and peace activist Michael Douglas received this prestigious award in 2015. The Genesis Prize — endowed by the Genesis Prize Foundation and awarded annually by the Prime Minister of Israel — was established by a unique partnership among the Office of the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Genesis Prize Foundation, and the Office of the Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
The Laureate of the Genesis Prize is selected from a list of candidates nominated by leaders of hundreds of institutions and organizations worldwide, including leading universities, major foundations, Fortune 500 corporations, international NGO’s and top Jewish organizations. Upon receipt of the nominations for the Prize, the Selection Committee, headed by the Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel (currently Natan Sharansky), selects a short list of candidates and the Prize Committee, headed by Knesset Speaker (currently Yuli Edelstein), selects the Laureate.
About Warner Classics
Warner Classics is one of the world’s leading global classical music recording companies. Based in Paris, Warner Classics and Erato exclusively record some of the finest musicians around the world, including Alison Balsom, Natalie Dessay, Joyce DiDonato, Philippe Jaroussky, Emmanuel Pahud, Sir Antonio Pappano, and distinguished organizations like the Berliner Philharmoniker; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The company boasts an unrivalled catalogue of recordings by international superstars Plácido Domingo, Maxim Vengerov, Nigel Kennedy, Kiri Te Kanawa, Itzhak Perlman, André Previn, Daniel Barenboim, and Riccardo Muti, and the historic recordings of Mstislav Rostropovich, Maria Callas, Victoria de los Angeles, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jacqueline du Pré, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, Sir Adrian Boult, and Sir John Barbirolli, as well as the longest-serving artist in the history of the record industry, violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin.
