YURI GITLIS (IVRY GITLIS)

Yuri Gitlis (Ivry Gitlis)

Israeli violinist, pedagogue, writer, actor.

Born Haifa – then: Mandate Palestine-, August 22, 1922 to Russian parents.

Died 24 December 2020 (aged 98) Paris, France

He was a distinguished in 1990 UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

He received his first violin at the age of five and gave his first concert at age ten. When violinist Bronislav Huberman heard him play, he sent him to study at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won a first prize at age 13. After graduation, he studied with George Enesco and Jacques Thibaud, among others.

His first recording, “Le Concerto à La mémoire d’un ange” by Alban Berg, won the Grand Prix du Disque in France.

In 1939, he went to England, and when World War II broke out, he worked in a British munitions factory and later in the entertainment unit of the British army.

In 1951, he made his debut in Paris; he has gone on to give concerts all over the world. He has played with the most prestigious orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic.

In 1968 he participated in John Lennon’s Dirty Mac project on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus program.

Ivry Gitlis is considered one of the most talented musicians of his generation, and many of his recordings are considered classics. In 1971 Bruno Maderna wrote “Piece for Ivry” for him, and in 1972, Ivry Gitlis premiered “Mikka” by Xenakis.

In 2008, he became patron of the Paris-based association “Inspiration(s)”, whose aim is to make classical music accessible to all. He is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music.