Ivry Gitlis

Ivry Gitlis is an Israeli virtuoso violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He has performed with the worlds top orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

YitzhakMeir Gitlis was born in Haifa, Palestine Mandate to Jewish parents, who emigrated in 1921 from KamianetsPodilskyi, Russia, now Ukraine. Gitlis acquired his first violin when he was five years old and started lessons under Mme Velikovsky together with his friend Zvi Zeitlin. He then studied privately with Mira BenAmi, a pupil of Joseph Szigeti. When he was eight, she arranged for him to play for Bronisaw Huberman, which prompted a fundraising campaign to allow him to study in France. In 1933 he arrived with his mother in Paris and started to take lessons with Marcel Chailley, husband of the pianist Cliny ChailleyRichez. Being very close to their family, he was introduced to George Enescu and Jacques Thibaud. In that period he decided to change his birth name to Ivry. At 11, Gitlis entered the Conservatoire de Paris in the class of Jules Boucherit, and graduated in 1935. Later, in 19391940, his teachers included George Enescu and Jacques Thibaud in Paris and Carl Flesch in Spa,

Source: Wikipedia