At his peak, Stern would perform more than 200 concerts a year. Made
his debut at Carnegie Hall on January 8, 1943.
Boycotted Germany for most of his life until 1999, due to that
country's role in the Holocaust.
He made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony.
In the late 1950s, after hearing proposals for razing Carnegie Hall he
mobilized his fellow artists and benefactors, eventually securing
legislation that enabled the city to acquire the building in 1960 for
$5 million.
Awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Award, in 2000.
"Carnegie was, is and will not be only a building. It's an idea. It's a
mythology, a necessary mythology about music." - said on Larry King Live (1985) about
his belief that Carnegie Hall needed to be saved.