The great classical music performers North America
Perahia or Järvi? Levine or Milstein? It is difficult for inquiring minds to tackle a field as large and diverse as classical music, covering 10 centuries of history: there are uncountable numbers of classical music performers in the world. Making a selection of musicians, such as a “top 10” for example, is a difficult and subjective exercise. A musical selection is often the expression of personal preferences or artistic opinions, very interesting but also very different according to critics or musicologists, or simply influenced by the context: will an English performer/musician not be instinctively privileged by an English critic?
For example: in Canada, Marc-André Hamelin, a Quebec pianist and composer, is at least as popular as the German violinist Anne-Sofie Mutter, who is more internationally renowned.
Timeline of classical musicians in North America
Whoever wants to discover classical music does not always have an experienced music lover, an expert or an educator at his or her side to support and guide him or her in this field. So : Perahia (American pianist and conductor) or Järvi (Estonian conductor) ? Chang (violinist) or Lisitsa (Ukrainian-American classical pianist) ? However, the knowledge available about musicians is enormous. It was processed to select the 10, 25, 50... most popular performers around the world, for those living or having lived en North America, . And this objectively, and for the first time (soclassiq exclusivity).
Performers rendered as a timeline to bring a little perspective:
.
ComposersConductorsLyrical singersPerformersT 2024
This timeline is interactive to navigate through the ages or across continents (with ).
Why are all these composers included in this timeline?
Many composers have also been concert performers or conductors, although their fame is associated with their work today. On the other hand, some conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Georg Solti ... or musicians such as Martha Argerich, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould ... have also composed. Itzhak Perlman, David Oïstrakh... very well known as concert performers, have also conducted orchestras. Others, such as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, William Christie ..., are renowned as much for their careers as composers, conductors and performers.
Top 10 classical musicians in North America
Who are these greatest performers, the most famous over the 1880-2020 era in North America? The carreer of these musician has marked the history of classical music. There are those you probably know, or at least by name and the others.
Here are these 10 performers, renowned artists from around the world:
The musicians and artists who also composed were removed from this ranking.
The selections of musicians (performers) proposed by soclassiq are based exclusively on algorithms. The same applies to the composers, their works, the lyrical singers, les orchestras, the conductors and the venues : opera houses, concert halls or festivals.
What about the others? 25, 50 or more?
Summarizing to 10 musician names such a wide and diverse field may seem extreme or too simplistic for those who know classical music well, for those who can easily name 50 or more classical music performers. Rubinstein, Perlman, Gotō, Menuhin, Hahn, Sills, Scotto...
At this time, soclassiq has listed more than 13000 performers. So here is a selection of some performers for the years 1880-2020, in North America, widely recognized around the world:
Note:
- This selection may include highly reputed artists and musicians who have occasionally devoted themselves to classical music and not exclusively.
- It may also include performers who have been or are composers, some more renowned for the work they have left than for their careers as musicians.
John Adams The great classical music performers
age 77 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Theodor W. Adorno The great classical music performers
1903-1969 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Marin Alsop The great classical music performers
age 67 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
June Anderson The great classical music performers
age 71 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Marian Anderson The great classical music performers
1897-1993 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
George Antheil The great classical music performers
1900-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Claudio Arrau The great classical music performers
1903-1991 (20th century)
Performer
Leopold von Auer The great classical music performers
1845-1930 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Emilie Autumn The great classical music performers
age 44 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Emanuel Ax The great classical music performers
age 74 (20th century)
Performer
Milton Babbitt The great classical music performers
1916-2011 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Angelo Badalamenti The great classical music performers
1937-2022 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Samuel Barber The great classical music performers
1910-1981 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
John Barry The great classical music performers
1933-2011 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Béla Bartók The great classical music performers
1881-1945 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Kathleen Battle The great classical music performers
age 75 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Amy Beach The great classical music performers
1867-1944 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Joshua Bell The great classical music performers
age 56 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Elmer Bernstein The great classical music performers
1922-2004 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leonard Bernstein The great classical music performers
1918-1990 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Ernest Bloch The great classical music performers
1880-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
William Bolcom The great classical music performers
age 85 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Jorge Bolet The great classical music performers
1914-1990 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Victor Borge The great classical music performers
1909-2000 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Glenn Branca The great classical music performers
1948-2018 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Bruce Broughton The great classical music performers
age 79 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leo Brouwer The great classical music performers
1939-2003 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Ole Bull The great classical music performers
1810-1880 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Adolf Busch The great classical music performers
1891-1952 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Semyon Bychkov The great classical music performers
age 71 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
John Cage The great classical music performers
1912-1992 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Maria Callas The great classical music performers
1923-1977 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Elliott Carter The great classical music performers
1908-2012 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco The great classical music performers
1895-1968 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
George Whitefield Chadwick The great classical music performers
1854-1931 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Sarah Chang The great classical music performers
age 43 (20th century)
Performer
Carlos Chávez The great classical music performers
1899-1978 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
William Christie The great classical music performers
age 79 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Van Cliburn The great classical music performers
1934-2013 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Sergiu Comissiona The great classical music performers
1928-2005 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Aaron Copland The great classical music performers
1900-1990 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
John Corigliano The great classical music performers
age 86 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Henry Cowell The great classical music performers
1897-1965 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
George Crumb The great classical music performers
1929-2022 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
David Daniels The great classical music performers
age 57 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Dennis Russell Davies The great classical music performers
age 79 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Deanna Durbin The great classical music performers
1921-2013 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Hanns Eisler The great classical music performers
1898-1962 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Danny Elfman The great classical music performers
age 70 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Mischa Elman The great classical music performers
1891-1967 (20th century)
Performer
Jackie Evancho The great classical music performers
age 23 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Morton Feldman The great classical music performers
1926-1987 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arthur Fiedler The great classical music performers
1894-1979 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leon Fleisher The great classical music performers
1928-2020 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Renée Fleming The great classical music performers
age 65 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Lukas Foss The great classical music performers
1922-2009 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
David Foster The great classical music performers
age 74 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Florence Foster Jenkins The great classical music performers
1868-1944 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Diamanda Galás The great classical music performers
age 68 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
George Gershwin The great classical music performers
1898-1937 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Michael Giacchino The great classical music performers
age 56 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Alan Gilbert The great classical music performers
age 57 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Philip Glass The great classical music performers
age 87 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Alma Gluck The great classical music performers
1884-1938 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Leopold Godowsky The great classical music performers
1870-1938 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Szymon Goldberg The great classical music performers
1909-1993 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Jerry Goldsmith The great classical music performers
1929-2004 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Midori Gotō The great classical music performers
age 52 (20th century)
Performer
Morton Gould The great classical music performers
1913-1996 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Glenn Gould The great classical music performers
1932-1982 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Percy Grainger The great classical music performers
1882-1961 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
William Grant Still The great classical music performers
1895-1978 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Kathryn Grayson The great classical music performers
1922-2010 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alexander Gretchaninov The great classical music performers
1864-1956 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Hilary Hahn The great classical music performers
age 44 (20th century)
Performer
Marc-André Hamelin The great classical music performers
age 62 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Barbara Hannigan The great classical music performers
age 52 (20th century)
Conductor, Lyrical singer & Performer
Howard Hanson The great classical music performers
1896-1981 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Roy Harris The great classical music performers
1898-1979 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Jascha Heifetz The great classical music performers
1901-1987 (20th century)
Performer
Barbara Hendricks The great classical music performers
age 75 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Victor Herbert The great classical music performers
1859-1924 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Angela Hewitt The great classical music performers
age 65 (20th century)
Performer
Paul Hindemith The great classical music performers
1895-1963 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Josef Hofmann The great classical music performers
1876-1957 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
James Horner The great classical music performers
1953-2015 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Vladimir Horowitz The great classical music performers
1903-1989 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Mieczysław Horszowski The great classical music performers
1892-1993 (20th century)
Performer
Alan Hovhaness The great classical music performers
1911-2000 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
James Newton Howard The great classical music performers
age 72 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Eugene Istomin The great classical music performers
1925-2003 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Charles Ives The great classical music performers
1874-1954 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Byron Janis The great classical music performers
age 95 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Kristjan Järvi The great classical music performers
age 51 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Paavo Järvi The great classical music performers
age 61 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Scott Joplin The great classical music performers
1868-1917 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Kim Kashkashian The great classical music performers
age 71 (20th century)
Performer
Ralph Kirkpatrick The great classical music performers
1911-1984 (20th century)
Performer
Erich Wolfgang Korngold The great classical music performers
1897-1957 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Serge Koussevitzky The great classical music performers
1874-1951 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Stephen Kovacevich The great classical music performers
age 83 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Fritz Kreisler The great classical music performers
1875-1962 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Erich Kunzel The great classical music performers
1935-2009 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Mario Lanza The great classical music performers
1921-1959 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Giorgi Latsabidze The great classical music performers
age 45 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Michel Legrand The great classical music performers
1932-2019 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor, Lyrical singer & Performer
Lotte Lehmann The great classical music performers
1888-1976 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
James Levine The great classical music performers
1943-2021 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Liberace The great classical music performers
1919-1987 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Jan Lisiecki The great classical music performers
age 28 (20th century)
Performer
Valentina Lisitsa The great classical music performers
age 53 (20th century)
Performer
Frederick Loewe The great classical music performers
1901-1988 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Arkady Luxemburg The great classical music performers
age 84 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Yo-Yo Ma The great classical music performers
age 68 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Lorin Maazel The great classical music performers
1930-2014 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Jeanette MacDonald The great classical music performers
1903-1965 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Edward MacDowell The great classical music performers
1860-1908 (Romantic)
Composer & Performer
Alma Mahler The great classical music performers
1879-1964 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Henry Mancini The great classical music performers
1924-1994 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Wynton Marsalis The great classical music performers
age 62 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Bohuslav Martinů The great classical music performers
1890-1959 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Zubin Mehta The great classical music performers
age 87 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Yehudi Menuhin The great classical music performers
1916-1999 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Zinka Milanov The great classical music performers
1906-1989 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Nathan Milstein The great classical music performers
1902-1992 (20th century)
Performer
Dimitri Mitropoulos The great classical music performers
1896-1960 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Gabriela Montero The great classical music performers
age 53 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Grace Moore The great classical music performers
1898-1947 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Conlon Nancarrow The great classical music performers
1912-1997 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Randy Newman The great classical music performers
age 80 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor, Lyrical singer & Performer
Yannick Nézet-Séguin The great classical music performers
age 49 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Garrick Ohlsson The great classical music performers
age 75 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Eugene Ormandy The great classical music performers
1899-1985 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Ignacy Jan Paderewski The great classical music performers
1860-1941 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Murray Perahia The great classical music performers
age 76 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Itzhak Perlman The great classical music performers
age 78 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Roberta Peters The great classical music performers
1930-2017 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Gregor Piatigorsky The great classical music performers
1903-1976 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Walter Piston The great classical music performers
1894-1976 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Manuel Ponce The great classical music performers
1886-1948 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Rosa Ponselle The great classical music performers
1897-1981 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
André Previn The great classical music performers
1929-2019 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Sergei Rachmaninoff The great classical music performers
1873-1943 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Steve Reich The great classical music performers
age 87 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Fritz Reiner The great classical music performers
1888-1963 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Regina Resnik The great classical music performers
1922-2013 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Silvestre Revueltas The great classical music performers
1899-1940 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Ruggiero Ricci The great classical music performers
1918-2012 (20th century)
Performer
Terry Riley The great classical music performers
age 88 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Clara Rockmore The great classical music performers
1911-1998 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Richard Rodgers The great classical music performers
1902-1979 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Juventino Rosas The great classical music performers
1868-1894 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Miklós Rózsa The great classical music performers
1907-1995 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Arthur Rubinstein The great classical music performers
1887-1982 (20th century)
Performer
Robert Russell Bennett The great classical music performers
1894-1981 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Lalo Schifrin The great classical music performers
age 91 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Arnold Schoenberg The great classical music performers
1874-1951 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Gunther Schuller The great classical music performers
1925-2015 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
William Schuman The great classical music performers
1910-1992 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Elisabeth Schumann The great classical music performers
1888-1952 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Renata Scotto The great classical music performers
1933-2023 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Rudolf Serkin The great classical music performers
1903-1991 (20th century)
Performer
Gil Shaham The great classical music performers
age 53 (20th century)
Performer
Anoushka Shankar The great classical music performers
age 42 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Howard Shore The great classical music performers
age 77 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Beverly Sills The great classical music performers
1929-2007 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alexander Siloti The great classical music performers
1863-1945 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Leonard Slatkin The great classical music performers
age 79 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Dang Thai Son The great classical music performers
age 65 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Stephen Sondheim The great classical music performers
1930-2021 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
John Philip Sousa The great classical music performers
1854-1932 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Frederica von Stade The great classical music performers
age 78 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
János Starker The great classical music performers
1924-2013 (20th century)
Performer
Max Steiner The great classical music performers
1888-1971 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Isaac Stern The great classical music performers
1920-2001 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
Igor Stravinsky The great classical music performers
1882-1971 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
MasterpiecesComplete works
Alexei Sultanov The great classical music performers
1969-2005 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
George Szell The great classical music performers
1897-1970 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Joseph Szigeti The great classical music performers
1892-1973 (20th century)
Performer
Alexander Tcherepnin The great classical music performers
1899-1977 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Theodore Thomas The great classical music performers
1835-1905 (Romantic)
Conductor & Performer
Michael Tilson Thomas The great classical music performers
age 79 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Dimitri Tiomkin The great classical music performers
1894-1979 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Rosalyn Tureck The great classical music performers
1914-2003 (20th century)
Performer
Brian Tyler The great classical music performers
age 51 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Frank Van der Stucken The great classical music performers
1858-1929 (Romantic)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Rufus Wainwright The great classical music performers
age 50 (20th century)
Composer, Lyrical singer & Performer
Leonard Warren The great classical music performers
1911-1960 (20th century)
Lyrical singer & Performer
Alisa Weilerstein The great classical music performers
age 41 (20th century)
Performer
Kurt Weill The great classical music performers
1900-1950 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Jaromír Weinberger The great classical music performers
1896-1967 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Camilla Wicks The great classical music performers
1928-2020 (20th century)
Performer
John Williams The great classical music performers
age 92 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Paul Wittgenstein The great classical music performers
1887-1961 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Christopher Young The great classical music performers
age 65 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
La Monte Young The great classical music performers
age 88 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
Efrem Zimbalist The great classical music performers
1889-1985 (20th century)
Composer, Conductor & Performer
Hans Zimmer The great classical music performers
age 66 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
David Zinman The great classical music performers
age 87 (20th century)
Conductor & Performer
John Zorn The great classical music performers
age 70 (20th century)
Composer & Performer
See also...
Timelines : Performers
- The great classical music performers
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 20th-century performers [II.] (1950 - 2000)
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 20th-century performers [I.] (1900 - 1950)
- Europe * North America * South America * Asia * Oceania * Africa
- The great 19th-century performers (1850 - 1900)
Indexes
- All performers : by instrument * by country
- by alphabetical order : A * B * C * D * E * F * G * H * I * J * K * L * M * N * O * P * Q * R * S * T * U * V * W * X * Y * Z
- Young artists (Performers)
Other timelines
- Composers : 10 centuries of classical music
- The great classical music conductors
- The great lyrical singers
Commemorations 2024, 2025, ...
Last update : 2024-03-10