Jascha Heifetz was born on February 2, 1901, in Vilnius, and began studying the violin with his father at the age of 3. At 4, Heifetz was admitted to the Royal School of Music, and two years later he was performing major concerti in public. At the age of 9 he became a pupil of Leopold Auer at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Following concerts in Russia, he made a successful European tour in 1914.

After the family fled the Bolsheviks in Russia, young Heifetz made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City in October 1917. He became a United States citizen in 1925 and began a career of world tours that drew capacity crowds. Recognized as one of the greatest violin virtuosos of all time, Heifetz played with unmatched technical brilliance.

From 1962 Heifetz taught at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where the Heifetz Chair in Music was established in 1975. He retired from the concert stage in 1972. His recordings are classics, and he commissioned many works by modern composers. He also is known for his arrangements of both classical and modern works for the violin. He died in Los Angeles on Dec. 10, 1987.

Jascha Heifetz was the most celebrated violinist of the 20th century whose influence on violin playing endures to this day.