Navah Perlman
Navah Perlman began concertizing at a young age, playing as a soloist with the Independent School Orchestra in New York City when she was 11 years old. Her teachers included Ronit Amir Lowenthal and Herbert Stessin. She also studied chamber music with Felix Galimir, Robert Mann and Dorothy DeLay.
As she continued her studies, Navah made appearances with youth orchestras and professional regional orchestras, gradually starting a professional career as a pianist. Over the span of her career she has played with many major orchestras including the Montreal Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and others. In addition to her orchestral performances, Ms. Perlman has played numerous solo recitals in cities such as Philadelphia, Scottsdale, Memphis, and Miami, and an abundance of chamber music. Her festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia Festival and the Barns at Wolf Trap. For many years, Ms. Perlman was in a piano trio with cellist Zuill Bailey and violinist Kurt Nikkanen, whose position was later held by violinist Giora Schmidt. In 2017, Navah debuted her one woman show entitled, “Navah Perlman: A Musical Memoir”, a performance of music alongside narration and photographs, and will continue to present this show into the 2018 season.
Navah Perlman is an active and respected performer of residency and educational outreach activities. While in residence, Ms. Perlman teaches students of all ages in master classes, speaks to school assemblies and has also conducted pedagogy workshops for teachers. She has participated in several chamber music residency programs, including those at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the University of California at Davis, Stanford University and the University of Iowa, teaching and performing in partnership with the Cavani String Quartet.
In addition to performing and outreach, Navah has taken on other roles in the realm of music. She was appointed as the Director of Chamber Music Programming in partnership with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta in 2015, helping to bring chamber music to a wider audience in the Adirondack region of New York State. Navah is also a proud member of the Board of Concerts in Motion, a not-for-profit organization in New York City that brings uplifting, live music to more than 30,000 individuals served by over 80 essential service agencies throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
As the daughter of violinist Itzhak Perlman, starting at a young age Navah had the honor and privilege of participating in and witnessing exciting historical moments in music. Growing up in New York City with a successful musician father meant much time spent with her parents musician friends, going to countless concerts at the neighborhood concert halls (Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center) through the back stage door, and generally being unaware of how unusual this was. Navah was fortunate to meet many of her favorite musicians over a period of years, including Vladimir Horowitz on several occasions; Navah was present in the sessions of Horowitz's final studio recording and actually sat on the floor next to the piano while he played during one of the sessions.
Navah has also had the honor of accompanying and collaborating with her father on numerous occasions. She toured in Japan with him, playing duo recitals, in 1998. But some of the performances she has given with him have been out of the ordinary. At age 11, Navah’s father was asked on short notice to participate in a Nuclear Freeze concert, joining other celebrities at the Beacon Theater in New York at the height of the Cold War. Navah ended up accompanying her father for his appearance, playing a transcription of a Chopin Nocturne with him just after actress Meryl Streep, the host of the event, had introduced them. Navah has also performed at the White House with her father when he was asked by the Clinton administration to honor his beloved teacher, Dorothy DeLay, when she was receiving an award. The list of amazing moments is a long one, and not taken for granted.
Navah lives in New York City with her husband Robert Frost and their four children. Navah and her husband met growing up in the same apartment building, dated through high school and college, and have been married for 25 years.
