Jacques Israelievitch

Jacques Israelievitch, CM (May 6, 1948 – September 5, 2015) was a French violinist, and one of Canada's foremost chamber musicians.

Born in Cannes, France, at 11 years old he was the youngest graduate in the history of the Le Mans Conservatory. He went on to study at the Conservatoire de Paris with Henryk Szeryng and René Benedetti, receiving three first prizes at age 16. He also studied at Indiana University with Josef Gingold, János Starker, William Primrose and Menahem Pressler.

Israelievitch also performed as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborating with artists such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, and Yo-Yo Ma. In 1972, Sir Georg Solti appointed him as assistant concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, making him the youngest member of the orchestra. He then served as concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He served as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 2008. From 2005 to 2014, Israelievitch served as the music director of the Koffler Chamber Orchestra at the Koffler Centre of the Arts.

He recorded works by Ludwig van Beethoven and R. Murray Schafer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, violin works by Edvard Grieg, and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. His CD Suite Hebraique was nominated for a Juno award. Other CDs include Suite Enfantine, Suite Fantaisie, Suite Française, and Solo Suite. In 2006, he made a complete recording of the 42 Kreutzer Etudes, the first of its kind. The CD and the accompanying score were praised internationally.

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