"The greatest wealth this country has is the minds of its young people," he said.
Audience members seemed to have strong reactions to his speech when he turned to the proliferation of first Jewish and then Asian musicians. He said that music allowed both groups to break from their "cultural ghettos," as western music was a universal "symbol of freedom of expression."
Though audience member Nikhil Kacker '02 said he disagreed with Stern's theory about the explosion of Asian musicians, he nevertheless said he enjoyed Stern's talk.
"His ideas on education in music are the correct path we should be taking as we go into the next millennium," Kacker said.
Although Rebecca S. Tinio '00, a violinist, said she was disappointed Stern didn't play, she said it was interesting "for me as a musician [to see] how he thinks about music and how he approached it."
His involvement in the arts has included being president of Carnegie Hall, a founding member of the National Endowment for the Arts and chair of the Jerusalem Music Centre.
The recipient of a multitude of honors and awards, Stern was on tour to promote his autobiography, My First 79 Years, written with Chaim Potok.
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