Albert Ivan Stern was a violinist born in New York City.
Early life
His parents, father Murray Abraham Shmulevitch and mother Grace Sara Stern (née Gold), were both Jewish and born in Poland. Grace Gold immigrated to the US as a child and Murray immigrated later after graduating from the University of Berlin as a Doctor of medicine. After arriving in the US, Murray entered a lifelong career in business sales and, following in the footsteps of his father, became a prominent builder. Both his mother and father came from families of predominantly musicians. He had an older brother Stanley Stern (later known as Jack Stern) and an older sister Florence London. Stern has 4 children, daughters Adina T. Stern, a prominent attorney, Aura L. Stern, a financier, daughter Shereen A. Stern, a nurse, and son Shawn Stern, a novelist. He is married to Patricia A Stern (Née Trzaska).
Stern first started learning to play the violin at the age of 5 when his father brought home a tiny violin and bow. Soon after picking it up was able to draw some clear notes. His father stated "you are going to be a violinist." When he was 11, his parents moved to Los Angeles where he studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory with Sascha Jacobsen, Concert Master of the LA Philharmonic. He then studied briefly with a student of Otakar Ševčík prior to studying with Noumi Fischer in Los Angeles until the age of 15. While studying with Fischer, he won many music contests and gave concerts appearing as a soloist with the Long Beach & Los Angeles Symphony Orchestras.
Stern entered and won the Young Artists television competition with judges Tasha Sidel and Marina Koshetz. At 16, he auditioned at the Juilliard School where he was admitted and studied violin with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay. At Juilliard, Stern also studied with Louis Persinger for Sonata classes, William Primrose for viola, Robert Mann for Quartet classes as well as Hans Letz. Stern had a bit part as a roaming musician in the 1964 film, Kisses for My President.
Violinist/Musician/Teacher
Stern's primary vocation is as a concert violin soloist and violin teacher. Stern has concertized as a soloist in recital and appearing with orchestras across the nation, receiving critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Los Angeles Times music critic Martin Bernheimer called Stern's performance “dazzling” after a concert, attended by over 6,000 people, of the West Coast Premier of Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, conducted by William Hall. The Performance, with Stern as violin soloist., was held at The Orange County Performing Arts Center and featured the Master Chorale of Orange County, the Master Chorale Orchestra and the Boys of the Costa Mesa children's Chorus.
Recordings
Stern recorded two albums performing on the 1697 'Molitor Stradivarius.' The first album, 'The Road to Love," is a collection of popular songs performed with the London City Symphony and recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, conducted by Alan Williams.
The second, "The Road to Love II: Classic Embrace," features Stern's interpretations of works by Bach, Beethoven, Shubert, Sarasate, Saint-Saens, Puccini, Tchaikowsky and Wieniawski. "The Road to Love II" is one of the first albums ever recorded using full 24-bit technology from start through the mastering process. Stern is accompanied by Joanne Pierce Martin, performing on a 9'6" Imperial Bösendorfer concert grand piano.
Teaching
While at Juilliard and Meadowmount (Ivan Galamian's summer school) he was an assistant violin teacher to Dorothy DeLay. He conducted violin classes at Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles where he served as Assistant Dean of Music and the concert master of the college's symphony orchestra in the early 1970s.
Fine Violins
Stern has owned many fine instruments, including the 1697 Molitor Stradivarius. Stern owned the "Lady Stretton" Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesú of 1726 that was featured at the 1994 del Gesú exhibition at the Metropolitan museum in New York. In 1994, Stern exchanged the "Lady Stretton" Guarneri for the "Molitor" Stradivarius with Elmar Oliveira.
Stern owned the Molitor Stradivarius from 1994–2010, during which time he recorded two albums with it for the record label RdA Music. The Molitor Stradivarius was sold through Tarisio Auctions on October 14, 2010 for a record $3.6 million, the highest auction price ever paid for any musical instrument until the Lady Blunt was sold at auction on June 20, 2011.
