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To:
EDITORS: For releas
nytime through May 5.
100th anniversary
Isaac Stern celebrates Carnegie Hall
By Frank Lovece toduet with Yo-Yo Ma scheduled to air ed musical activist. He helped estab-
in the first, taped half of the show, lish the musical life of Israel. He
How is it possible to be the world’s (The last two hours will be live) toured the Soviet Union during the
most acclaimed classical violinist, Like others of us remember our Cold War as a cultural ambassador.
‘and still be a regular guy? first kiss, Stern remembers his first He spearheaded the drive to save Car-
Wel, actually i's not Isaac Sterna —timeon the Carnegie stage, in 943." _negie in 1960 and to restore it in 1986,
regular guy? Heflew infolsracl when prepared for’ that concert for And. President ‘Kennedy personaly
the Scuds were landing to show soli- months,” he remembers. “I was stay- tapped him to help establish the Na-
arity with the Jewish state. He ing with a friend who had an apart- tional Endowment for the Arts, which
helped Yound the ‘National Endow- ment on West Zand Sreet — way, way helps to subsidie artist just as other
tent for the Arts. And Carnegie Hall high up, an enormous room above the federal programs help to subsidize
itself might not even exist today if watertower' This friend was a profes- scientists or farmers.
Stern hadn't led the drive to save it sor of philosophy, and he'd wake me
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from demolition in 1960 pin the mide ote night and say, Not surprisingly, Stern is aston
‘Now, Sl years later, Siern presides “Play: Just to make sure {could play, ished by recent attacks on the NEA,
over the hallowed hails 100th anni- under any circumstances” when hand of diturbing a
wersary. On Sunday, May’$ — one Claimed works — shocking tf
century tothe day sce Tehaikovsky same way that Stravinsky's ballet
conducted the opening night concert "the Rite of Spring” and Plcess0s .