Pinchas Zukerman - Definition and Overview

Pinchas Zukerman (born July 16, 1948) is a noted violinist, violist and conductor who was appointed Music Director of Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra in April, 1998.

He was born in Tel Aviv in Israel. He left for the United States and studied at the Juilliard School and quickly became a world reknowed violin player making his New York debut in 1963. From 1980 to 1987 he was the director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota. He married actress Tuesday Weld in 1985 but they divorced in 1998.

In 1998, partially because of his relationship with Amanda Forsythe he moved to the NAC orchestra.

He is close friends with Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman. He is currently married to his orchestra's star cellist Amanda Forsythe. He lives in the exclusive Rockcliffe Park area of Ottawa. He has two daughters from his 15-year marriage to flautist and novelist Eugenia Zukerman. Both girls are singers, Arianna in opera, Natalia in rock music.

Zukerman has recorded over 100 works and has been nominated for 21 Grammy Awards, winning two.