Jascha Heifetz (02.02.1901-10.12.1987) was a Russian and American musician of Jewish descent, one of the greatest violinists of the 20^th century.

Jascha Heifetz received his first violin lessons at the age of three from his father, a self-taught violinist that played at weddings. From the age of four, he studied under Elias Malkin, one of the city's finest violinists and teachers. At the age of six, Jascha (as Joseph was called in childhood, a name that later became his stage name) gave his first concert, performing Mendelssohn's Concerto with orchestral accompaniment. By the age of ten, the repertoire of Heifetz included numerous pieces, as well as violin concertos by Max Bruch and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. In 1909, Leopold Auer, a professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, heard the boy play and made an offer to his parents to enroll Jascha in his violin class.

The 13-year-old Heifetz gained international fame after a concert in Berlin in 1914, where he performed with the symphony orchestra under the baton of Arthur Nikisch.

On October 27, 1917, Heifetz made a successful debut at Carnegie Hall. Critics noted that "the large audience included every professional violinist within a 200-mile radius," describing Heifetz's performing art as "transcending the limits of the possible." The musician was called a "luminous prophecy," a "true genius," and a "concentration of the highest violinistic and musical qualities," while his playing was praised for its "soul-stirring beauty." Heifetz became an "idol of the American public" and gave more than thirty concerts in New York alone within a single year.

In 1925, Heifetz was granted American citizenship. By the 1930s, he had become the idol of the American musical community. His performances were recorded by the major gramophone companies, and he appeared in motion pictures.

In 1920, Jascha Heifetz performed in London for the first time, and the following year he embarked on a major tour through Australia. In 1922, 1924, and 1925, he gave concerts in England again, and in 1923, the violinist undertook an extensive tour of Asia. In 1926, he toured South American countries and the Middle East.

In 1934, Heifetz accepted an invitation from the USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, M. Litvinov, to perform in his former homeland.

In 1940, Heifetz began his teaching career at the University of Southern California and continued to give concerts in South America. During World War II, Heifetz, along with other musicians, performed extensively in hospitals and for soldiers.

Heifetz was a cheerful man, the so-called "life and soul of the party." Throughout his life, he had many hobbies: tennis, photography, racing electric cars, the French language (including immersion in Parisian dialects), and playing the accordion.
In 1959, Heifetz was invited to take a position as a professor of violin at the University of California.

There are several hundred recordings of Heifetz's playing (both solo and in ensembles). The musician's repertoire included virtually the entire volume of compositions for violin; along with widely known works, he also performed rarely played compositions. In 1968, Heifetz practically ceased his concert activities. Heifetz's final recorded performance took place in 1970.

The Maestro passed away on December 10, 1987. Heifetz was an outstanding violinist whose style was characterized by a sound of exceptional beauty and limitless technical capabilities. His interpretations were distinguished by dynamism and passion that, however, always remained within the bounds of impeccable taste and compositional harmony.