HomeAsian AmericansCelebrated violinist apologizes for anti-Asian remarks

Celebrated violinist apologizes for anti-Asian remarks

It was music to no one’s ears when an acclaimed violinist made anti-Asian comments in his master class at the Julliard School on Friday.

Pinchas Zukerman, a Grammy-winning violin player and conductor, apologized on Monday for what he deemed as “culturally insensitive” remarks, according to the New York Times. His class, part of Julliard’s biennial Starling-DeLay Violin Symposium, was recorded, but Julliard decided to not post the video in light of his offensive behavior.

Laurie Niles of Violinist.com, who attended the class, reported that Zukerman first mocked Asians when he was giving feedback to two Japanese sisters who performed for the class. Their play, he said, was too flawless.

“Think less about how perfect to play and to play together, and more about phrasing,” Zukerman told them. “A little more vinegar – or soy sauce!”

Zukerman then encouraged them to play in more of a song-like tone, making an offhand statement that “in Korea they don’t sing.” One of the sisters corrected him by saying that she was not Korean, but Zukerman responded by saying that “in Japan they don’t sing either.”

According to Niles, he then imitated a stereotypical sing-song Asian accent.

“That is not singing,” he said. “Violin is not a machine.”

Niles reported that it was “hard to listen” to the rest of the class. At its conclusion, he repeated the assertion that Koreans do not sing, adding that “it’s not in their DNA.”

In his apology, Zukerman said that he was trying to teach the sisters but that his remarks in doing so were insensitive, according to The Hill.

“I’m writing to the students personally to apologize. I am sorry that I made anyone uncomfortable,” Zukerman said. “I cannot undo that, but I offer a sincere apology. I learned something valuable from this, and I will do better in the future.”

According to the New York Times, Zukerman was the most prominent musician to instruct at the symposium this year. His class numbered around 100 attendees.

Julliard issued a statement in response to Zukerman’s offensive comments, with the symposium’s Artistic Director Brian Lewis and and Julliard Director of Lifelong Learning John-Morgan Bush offering apologies to the students of the class.

“”Unfortunately, we will not be posting the video of Friday’s final master class with Pinchas Zukerman, who in the course of the class used insensitive and offensive cultural stereotypes. Those remarks did not represent the values of the Symposium or The Juilliard School,” the statement read.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. I am so tired of highly educated people with no sensitivity training being allowed to continue to not only be hired to teach any of our young people of any race attending post-graduate or undergraduate studies in music ,the arts and in certain cases doctoral studies in History being slammed and shamed because of jealousy along with being a bully in order to discourage anyone that does not look like the so called “Master Instructor/Artist”.

    These ladies have enough on their plates already and sir it is you who needs to return to school or to seek out a therapist in order to clean the “lenses and your brain and heart” so that you can grow into becoming a better person. I have taught many young people from all over this earth and have heard some mean stuff aimed at our youth but this is sad indeed. LJ Steele, MA Retired Educator

  2. Look how ignorant this article is. Claiming the two sisters were japanese. They were born in New York Billy Ward. They were half japanese by lineage not culturally or factually Japanese. The teacher singled them out and first stated they were korean, and then after being informed they were half japanese, even though he was provided bio prior to performance, claimed both (asians i guess) did not have artistry in their DNA. So ignorant on many levels. This is why indians and philippinos get murdered by crazy racist thinking they all the same.

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