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ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University welcomes world-renowned classical musician Itzhak Perlman as the 12^th speaker in the Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series on October 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Montagne Center.

The free public lecture is titled “a moderated presentation featuring Itzhak Perlman’s violin to demonstrate the power of music to emotionally connect with an audience.” A public reception will follow the presentation. Perlman will also be available earlier in the day in a question and answer session with LU students.

“We are very pleased to have a speaker of such renown as Mr. Perlman,” said Kevin Smith, senior associate provost and chair of the university’s Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series committee. “The Fisher lecture series enables LU to present world-class speakers to our students and the greater Southeast Texas community. Judge Fisher’s legacy carries on in part through the value of this lecture series to the people of Southeast Texas.”

The Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series was created in 1986 to honor Judge Fisher’s many contributions to Southeast Texas and ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University. The people of the community established the series to benefit ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ students and to honor the longtime federal judge who died June 19, 2000.

Past lecturers in the Fisher series are former President Gerald Ford, Larry McMurtry, Vladimir Sakharov, Stephen Jay Gould, Linda Ellerbee, Antonin Scalia, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, James Watson, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and Jon Huntsman.

Perlman, a four-time Emmy award winner and 16-time Grammy award winner, is one of the top names in classical music today. Born in 1945 in Israel, Perlman completed his initial education at the Academy of Music at Tel Aviv before coming to New York. Following his studies at the Julliard School, Perlman won the Leventritt Competition in 1964 and embarked on a successful worldwide career. Perlman is now a cultural icon and leading master of violin.

He has performed with every major orchestra and at reputable concert halls worldwide, earning a Kennedy Center Honor in 2003 by the John F. Kenney Center for the Performing Arts for his achievements and contributions to the United States.

Perlman took part in the 2009 inauguration of President Barak Obama, performed for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh at a state dinner hosted by George W. Bush at the White House and made appearances on popular shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman, 60 Minutes, Sesame Street, The Frugal Gourmet and The Tonight Show.

Among Perlman’s numerous awards are a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the recording arts and several honorary degrees from institutions like Harvard, Yale and Brandeis universities. Perlman was awarded an honorary doctorate and a centennial medal on Julliard’s 100^th commencement ceremony.

Perlman teaches and conducts at the Perlman Music Program, founded in 1993, which offers unmatched musical training to young string players though summer programs and mentoring.