The Magic Of Itzhak Perlman & His Sweet Violin

I cannot begin to express how excited I am about getting to see and hear Itzhak Perlman play his magical violin. Believe it or not, I have awesome front row seats for two, and Mr. Snoots is going with me, by his request. I am totally beside myself and will continue to be until February 6th, when he graces the stage here in the West Texas Permian Basin.

For me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm grabbing onto it with all of the gusto I can manage. I will never get this chance again. Since I was a little girl, I've loved the violin as well as the fiddle, which are different, yet the same. For me, this is even bigger than going to see Celine Dion.

Itzahak Perlman's story is a unique one. He was born in 1945 to parents who had each immigrated to Pallestine before they met and married. At the age of 3 he was turned away from a music conservatory for being too small to hold a violin, so he taught himself to play on a toy violin. That should be enough to describe his lifelong passion, but he was also diagnosed with polio at the age of 4, which he made a good recovery from. He has been able to walk on crutches and often uses an electric scooter although he always plays his violin from a chair.

This passionate man has helped so many others through his violin, through his philanthropy, and through his excellent instruction. He eventually attended the very conservatory that had denied him entry as a young child, and finishing at the famous Julliard School in NYC. His credentials and Grammy Awards number greatly, for which he is more than deserving.

His violin playing is entrancing for me, often moving me to tears. (Yeah, right. There's a surprise, huh?) I can't think of anything he has recorded that I don't care for. He's a total genius. Anyone out there willing to wager that I will or will not cry during his performance? It's a *no brainer*, really. You. Know. I. Will.

We have a relatively new performance venue here called the Wagner-Noel Performing Arts Center, which is quickly becoming the hottest ticket within the Midland-Odessa area. Although fairly pricey, this is the best we've ever had in these parts. Luckily, we're members, so we get emails about the artists who are scheduled to perform, thus, giving us the advantage of buying tickets before the general public. Thank. The. Lord.

This is one time I'm thankful to have gotten in on the ground floor of a wonderfully modern and hi-tech addition to our community.

And, lest we forget the Holocaust, here is Itzhak Perlman's theme to Schindler's List. If you don't feel some powerful and passionate emotions while listening this song, then you must have no feelings whatsoever. This man can extract those feelings from you with his violin. Ride the wave and and feel the emotions wash over you. You won't regret it...