Born in Vilna, Jascha Heifetz (1901-1988) was taught the violin by his father and finally by Leopold Auer in St Petersburg, where he made his début in 1911, following this with a successful appearance in Berlin. In 1917 he left Russia, to settle in the United States, where in 1925 he took American citizenship, embarking on an international career. For many years he taught at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. As a player he was known not only for technical perfection but also for his liking for faster speeds. He commissioned a number of new concertos, including that by William Walton.
