For almost four decades now, the exceptional musician Pinchas Zukerman has enjoyed the highest recognition from audiences and the press worldwide. His extraordinary musicality and outstanding technique, as well as his commitment to young musicians, whom he is always able to inspire, are the reasons for his continuing success as a violinist, violist, conductor, pedagogue, and chamber musician, and make him a master of our time. In April 1998, Pinchas Zukerman was appointed Principal Conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, following a close, long-standing association with that orchestra. With his unique blend of artistic ambition and leadership, he leads the orchestra not only in concerts in Ottawa, but also on tour, in recordings, and in various programs to encourage young musicians in the city. In addition to this position, Pinchas Zukerman is currently the Artist in Residence of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Ilona-Feher Music Center in Holon, Israel. He also chairs the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music. Pinchas Zukerman opened last concert season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He undertook an extensive Canadian tour with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, led the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on a Florida tour, and has toured the U.S. East Coast as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, including an appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall. Guest conducting engagements with the Milwaukee and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras, the Berlin State Opera, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the English Chamber Orchestra are other highlights this season. Solo appearances have taken him to the Dallas, Boston, and Baltimore symphony orchestras, the Spanish National Orchestra, and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. He has also toured North America, Germany, Italy, Finland, and Switzerland in recitals with pianist Marc Neikrug. In the chamber music field, Pinchas Zukerman also collaborated last season with pianist Yefim Bronfman, cellist Ralph Kirshbaum and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. The Tonhalle Zurich dedicates a week of recitals and chamber music concerts to Zukerman, as well as performances as soloist and conductor of the orchestra. In addition to his regular work with the world's finest orchestras, Pinchas Zukerman was music director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for seven years, music director of the South Bank Festival in London for three years, principal guest conductor of the Dallas International Summer Music Festival for three years, and principal guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for two years. As a chamber musician, he collaborates with renowned artists throughout the world. His close friends and fellow musicians include Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Itzhak Perlman, Ralph Kirshbaum, the Tokyo String Quartet, Lynn Harrell, and Marc Neikrug. Almost every concert of the National Arts Centre Orchestra begins with a pre-concert in which Pinchas Zukerman performs chamber music with musicians of the orchestra. Each year, Pinchas Zukerman is also at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Zukerman's countless accomplishments include his extensive discography, which includes more than 100 recordings with 21 Grammy nominations and other awards. Pinchas Zukerman is an exclusive artist on BMG Classics/RCA Victor Red Seal. Born in Tel Aviv in 1948, Zukerman began his musical education with his father. At the age of eight, he began studying with Ilona Feher. On the advice of Isaac Stern and Pablo Cassals, and with the support of the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation and the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, he came to America in 1962 to study with Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School. In 1967, Zukerman won first prize at the Leventritt International Competition, which paved the way for his solo career. Pinchas Zukerman holds an honorary doctorate from Brown University and received a lifetime achievement award from the International Center in New York. He was awarded the King Solomon Prize by the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation. In 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Medal of Arts for his outstanding position in the music world. In 1999, he was the spokesman for International Music Day, which takes place every year on October 1.