Violinist Isaac Stern (1920–2001) was born on this day in the Ukraine. As an infant, his family emigrated to San Francisco to escape Russia’s 1921 revolution, seeking a better life through music and hope.

Stern began playing violin at the age of eight and gave his first recital with the San Francisco Symphony as a teenager. From the beginning, he captivated audiences and critics around the world with his extraordinary gift for turning strings into poetry.

“A man possesses talent; genius possesses the man,” he once said.

Though he humbly called himself “a fiddle player,” Stern became one of the 20th century’s great musical voices, known for inspired performances of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. He also championed contemporary music and played the violin solos for the film Fiddler on the Roof (1971).

“I’m a stage person. I love to go on stage,” he said in 1999. “I have a full life… I love teaching. I love talking about music.”

With that passion, Stern dedicated himself to sharing what he loved most. He mentored young artists—including Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma—and traveled the world giving master classes, a musical ambassador of goodwill.

“When you believe in something,” he said, “you can move mountains.”

Stern was also a powerful advocate for the arts. He led the successful campaign to save Carnegie Hall from demolition and helped found the National Endowment for the Arts, ensuring future generations would have a stage for their voices.

“I was put on Earth to bring comfort, relief, and beauty,” he said. “There’s only one thing an artist can get that’s greater than any other recognition—and that’s suddenly, in one unexplainable moment, to feel necessary and useful.”