His parents emigrated to the U.S. when he was an infant and settled in San Francisco. After attending the San Francisco Conservatory, he found his principal mentor in Naoum Blinder. It was not until he made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in N.Y. on Jan. 8, 1943, however, that his career began to blossom. In 1956 he made an acclaimed tour of the Soviet Union. Stern celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall debut in 1968. His career continued unabated in succeeding years. In 1979 he toured Communist China, an event featured in the film documentary FROM MAO TO MOZART: ISAAC STERN IN CHINA. His repertoire was enormous, encompassing both the great masters of the past and many contemporary composers.