Isaac Stern was an American violinist whose career combined performance, mentorship, and cultural diplomacy. He won six Grammy Awards and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Stern was the first American violinist to perform in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and his 1979 tour of China was documented in the Academy Award–winning film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. He also played an important role in mentoring young musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, and in preserving Carnegie Hall as a landmark of American musical life.