Jascha Heifetz

Joseph Ruvimovich Heifetz (2 February [O.S. 20 January] 1901 – December 10, 1987), commonly known as Jascha Heifetz, was a Russian and American violinist, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Born in Vilna, he was soon recognized as a child prodigy and was trained in the Russian violin school in Saint Petersburg. Accompanying his parents to escape the violence of the Russian Revolution, he moved to the United States as a teenager, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. Fritz Kreisler, another leading violinist of the twentieth century, said after hearing Heifetz's debut, "We might as well take our fiddles and break them across our knees." By the age of 18, Heifetz was the highest-paid violinist in the world. He had a long and successful concert career, including wartime service with the United Service Organizations (USO). After an injury to his right (bowing) arm in 1972, he switched his focus to teaching.