It's Contest Time -- Two Tickets to the ISO's Gala This Weekend!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Jessica Di Santo

October 13, 1984
Charles Staff, writer & reviewer, Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News
"Thanks to Symphony, Circle's Jewel Glows"
Photo by Joe Young, The Indianapolis News

The Circle Theater made a smashing comeback and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra staged a new beginning last night in one of the biggest evenings in the cultural history of the Hoosier capital. [Regarding Perlman's performance] Of course, [John] Nelson had an ace up his sleeve with Itzhak Perlman, who is definitely not a talented school child. One of the world's major violinists, Perlman is a box-office star. People don't come to hear Perlman play something. They come to hear him play anything.

That story was one of many enthusiastic reviews published after the Indianapolis Symphony opened its new home at the former movie palace, Circle Theatre, on Oct. 12, 1984. This photo is one of the few in our archives of the world renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman and that very special opening night.

So, what a celebration to have Mr. Perlman back with us after 26 years. He's now an esteemed conductor as well as a legendary violinist, and he will be doing double duty this Saturday night with our Orchestra. This will be night to remember.

The Opening Night Gala has been sold out for some time; however, there are TWO seats that remain unfilled. Would you and a special date or friend like to go? If so, you must tell us a story about Mr. Perlman. Were you in attendance at the ISO's Gala concert 26 years ago? Tell us. Have you seen him perform in another venue/city? Describe it. Do you have a favorite recording of his? Share please. Have you ever met the man? Prove it.

Post your Perlman story in the comment section below this post. We'll pick the winner and announce it at 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 30. Good luck!

Comments for It's Contest Time -- Two Tickets to the ISO's Gala This Weekend!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Stephen Henderson:: We have not seen him perform before, but we love the ISO. Our anniversary is this weekend and I would love to treat my wife to a great night out. We always attend the Christmas celebrations and the Symphony on the Prairie every year but rarely get the chance to come to the ISO venue downtown. We would love to see this talented director and violinist perform in our home town!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Alicia Barnes:: As a past employee at the University of Miami Music Library, I enjoy finding obscure recordings-and discovered Perlman's 1981 EMI recording of Tosca! He can sing too! I would love to see him perform on the violin!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Julie W:: My all time favorite recording of Mr. Perlman is the newest Mendelssohn trio CD he has done with Emmanual Ax and Yo-Yo Ma. My children also enjoy seeing him on Sesame Street!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Michelle M.:: My three favorite Perlman moments are Fantasia 2000 and the Pines of Rome, the Presidential Inauguration, and his performance on the box set of Mozart's Violin Sonatas. He is a truly gifted artist that I would love to see live.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Michelle M.:: My three favorite Perlman moments are Fantasia 2000 and the Pines of Rome, the Presidential Inauguration, and his performance on the box set of Mozart's Violin Sonatas. He is a truly gifted artist that I would love to see live.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Paul Dryden:: I am from St. Louis and we were extremely fortunate to hear Mr. Perlman several times from 2002-2004 while he graciously stepped in as Music Advisor of the Saint Louis Symphony -Orchestra after our Music Director, Hans Vonk, had to resign a...fter becoming ill. He led the orchestra during a very troubled time both as Vonk's resignation was a surprise, but also as the orchestra was navigating financial trouble and is a major reason St. Louis still has an orchestra, let alone one that is viable both artistically and financially. For that we are very grateful. His recordings of the Brahms Violin Sonatas are absolutely timeless. I will be in St. Louis this weekend, so please do not consider me for the tickets (I would love to go), but offer my thanks to Mr. Perlman instead.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Carl Basile:: I have never seen Mr. Perlman in person, but enjoyed his appearance on the Sesame Street prime time special in the mid-1980s, when we performed as part of the cameos on "Put Down The Duckie." It really showed his sense of humor to pluck his violin like it was a guitar or mandolin. Would love to see him live here in Indianapolis. Thank you for the opportunity.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Joni Reeves:: On behalf of Kevin Carlsen, I would like to enter this contest. While Kevin's brother, Norman "Skip" Carlsen, lay dying of cancer in New Hampshire, Kevin and Skip listened to Vivaldi, The Four Seasons with Itzhak Perlman and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was their favorite CD of Mr. Perlman's...especially tracks 4, 6 and 10. Skip succumbed to his cancer and passed away only for Kevin to be diagnosed on August 28th, 2008 with colon cancer. Itzhak Perlman's music gave Kevin hope, courage and the will to fight for his life when he had cancer but also helped him through deep sorrow when his brother died of cancer. Kevin designed, created and built the Ornithology Center at Eagle Creek Park while battling cancer and never missed a day of work. Because of his efforts, he was nominated and received the coveted IPL Environmentalist of the Year Award (2009) but was not allowed to accept the monetary earnings ($3,000.00) because he works for the City of Indianapolis. For this I am nominating Kevin J. Carlsen to win the two tickets to see Itzhak Perlman and the ISO.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by LJPerkins:: Mr. Perlman was my daughter's idol growing up. She is now age 40 and stated playing the Violin at age 9.What a thrill it must be to see him in concert .
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Vicki Simmons:: I have never seen him perform; I would love to do that one day. My favorite memory is listening to him while in the car with my dad and brother as we traveled up Mount Palomar to the Obsevatory on a beautiful day. It was sheer bliss!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Laura Manning:: The first time I attended an ISO concert was when I received two tickets from my then employer. Mr Perlman was performing. My husband and I enjoyed it so much we began attending concerts whenever we could. We appreciate ISO and Mr Perlman for opening up this genre of music to us.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by redfrizzz:: I remember watching Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street when i was a kid. I was mesmerized by the sound of his instrument, and the way he swayed with the music. That began my love of music and performance.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Robert Evans:: Since the tickets to this weekend were sold out, I ordered several Perlman CDs, and the most spectacular that I haven't yet heard all the moments of are the three-CD set that includes violin concertos by Brahms, Bruch, Beethoven, Paganini, Medelssohn, and Tchaikovsky, with different orchestras. I already loved all these concertos, but hearing them with Perlman should be quite a treat. To hear him in person would be divine.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Kristy McPike:: Mr. Perlman has inspired me as a violinist since I was new to the instrument. My admiration for him was even noted in a newspaper article written about me in high school just for being a violinist, since playing a stringed instrument was uncommon in my town at the time. I ended up studying music education at Butler in the 80's and was able to see Mr. Perlman play with the ISO during that time. My private teacher at Butler was Raye Pankratz, an ISO member. He was able to get us backstage afterwards to meet Mr. Perlman - a dream come true! I was also able to see one other performance and that was a recital he gave at IU about 6 yrs ago. I had to "ditch" my daughter at girl scout camp in order to attend that concert - that's how big of a fan I am! I am now Orchestra Director at Terre Haute South Vigo High School and would love to be able to tell my students about the awesome concert I was able to attend!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Beth:: I saw Mr. Perlman when I was grad school down in Bloomington. We had tickets that were way, way far away from the stage, but I was still thrilled to be there. I also think of Mr. Perlman from growing up and watching the Muppet's Rowlf's Rhapsodies, when Rowlf says to Gonzo, "You are standing in the very piano sold to me by Itzhak Perlman when he remembered he was really a violinist!" Whenever I hear "Itzhak Perlman" I always think of that line and giggle to myself.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Gretchen:: As the daughter of an elementary music teacher i grew up listening to classical music and remember seeing Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street. To this day I still envy my parents who have been to see him perform twice and never taken me along. I had every intention of buying tickets to this year's opening gala but got the opportunity to go to Haiti in October. When I finally found out that the concert and trip did not overlap the concert was sold out. There is always another year, and until then CDs will work, especially on the plane to Port Au Prince.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 by Pat Burger:: My daughter and I have been fortunate enough to have attended performances by Mikhail Barysnikov and Luciano Pavarotti. She will be in Indianapolis on Mr. Perlman's performance date -- what a thrill it would be to enjoy another world-class virtuoso.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Nancy McCauley:: Saw Mr. Perlman in the 1970's as a young 20-something; would love to be as enchanted by him as a young 50-something.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by S. K.:: Let me write about one of my favorite movies, "Music of the Heart". I love the last part of the film. Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman(!) and other famous musicians played violin on a stage with children. It was a really heartwarming scene! And there is another scene which I still remember. When the violin teacher encouraged her student who had problems with her legs, she asked to her "did you ever hear of Itzhak Perlman?" and said "standing strong doesn't mean just using your legs. You can stand strong on the inside." Every time I watch Mr. Perlman on TV, Youtube, etc., I always remember these phrases. I'm from Japan and I'm an international scholar at IU. I especially like his recording with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Brahms's violin Sonata No.3. Thank you very much for reading my poor writing!
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Matthew Rhea:: In the early 90s I heard Perlman play the Brahms violin concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival. As Perlman came onstage and started to step up on the podium where his chair was, he slipped and fell to the ground. As the audience watched with concern, he picked himself up, turned to the audience and said, "And now for the encore!". He gave a great performance!
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Myrna Gray CORRECTED:: Itzhak Perlman came to Terre Haute early in his career, in the mid-sixties, to play with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. I was a high school student at the time, with no great interest in classical music. (Having attended many Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra performances as a young child, I associated concerts with napping.) My parents were going to the Perlman concert, so I went along without any expectations. When Perlman walked on stage aided by crutches, my sympathy was aroused. He began to play a very lively piece with obvious relish – and I realized that he could fly! He made a marvelous impression as a musician and as a person. Naturally, I’ve been a fan ever since.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Debbie:: Mr. Perlman is a man to be admired. He sings, conducts, educates, and plays. He's overcome physical adversity & has raised a large family. I've had no personal contact with the man, but my husband & I very much enjoy classical and jazz. We purchase season tickets to Symphony on the Prairie, and attend other symphony events when we can.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Debbie:: Mr. Perlman is a man to be admired. He sings, conducts, educates, and plays. He's overcome physical adversity & has raised a large family. I've had no personal contact with the man, but my husband & I very much enjoy classical and jazz. We purchase season tickets to Symphony on the Prairie, and attend other symphony events when we can.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Amy:: My mother always relaxed to Itzhak Perlman. When she was having a rough day we knew we could find her listening to Itzhak quietly in the lving room. Her eyes were closed and she was entranced in the music. This example cultivated a love of this music in me as a small child and still to this day. I love the ISO and would greatly appreciate the chance to see this wonderful event!
Friday, October 1, 2010 by Scott:: I've been listening to Mr. Perlman since I was old enough to speak and pester my parents to buy his recordings for me at a record store. My girlfriend is also a Perlman fan and we had been dating for about a year last time Mr. Perlman played at the IU Auditorium in Bloomington. Somehow, due to my busy schedule, I was oblivious to the fact that Mr. Perlman was playing at IU until about an hour before the concert when I heard the concert announced on my local NPR station. I went online and found that there was only one good seat still available. In my excitement, I hastily purchased the ticket and drove as quickly as I could from Indianapolis to Bloomington just in time to hear the concert without even thinking to invite my girlfriend. The concert was superb and my girlfriend was quite annoyed with me when she phoned me later and found out where I had been. When I didn't hear from her for two days afterward I was crushed and I was almost certain that my blunder spelled the end of the relationship. Nearly three days later, my girlfriend called and forgave my transgression, telling me that if I had forgotten about her for anyone but Itzhak Perlman, she might not have believed my story because, as my girlfriend put it, "Perlman IS just that good." A few years later, my girlfriend and I are still together and I always enjoy telling friends and acquaintances about the time the Itzhak Perlman nearly ended--but ultimately saved--my relationship. Yes, he IS just that good.