THE HONORS & AWARDS

Honors Bestowed by the USSR


Order of Service to the Fatherland, First Degree
  (for his "outstanding contribution to the development of world music and many years of creative activity, presented  
   by Russian President Vladimir Putin, February 26, 2007)
Lenin Prize of the USSR (the nation's highest honor)
Stalin Prize of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
Honor Award of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Highest Civilian Honors Given By a Country to a Non-Citizen

Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1987 (USA)
Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Commander of the Legion of Honor (France) 1987

Academy Memberships

Academy of Arts and Sciences of the United States
Academy of St. Cecilia of Rome
Royal Academy of Music of England
Royal Swedish Academy
Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Arts of the French Institute

USSR Medals

Victory over Germany
Development of Virgin Islands
800th Anniversary of Moscow
100th Anniversary of Lenin's Birth

Other Prestigious National Awards

Commander of Artsand Letters of France
Officer of the Legion of Honor (France) 1981
Crown of France 1975
Commander of Phoenix Order of Greece
Cavalier of the Order of the Cedars of Lebanon
Order of Francisco Miranda, First Class (Venezuela)
Order of Santiago (Portugal)
Order of Isabella La Catolica (Spain)
Commander of the Order of Dannebrog, Denmark
Order of Arts and Letters of Sweden
Order of Merit, Luxembourg
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

Awards in Music & the Arts

Musician of the Year, Musical America
Certificate of Commendation from the Organization of America States and the Inter-American Music Council (highest honor from this organization)
Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society of Great Britain
Gold Medal of the Academy of St. Cecilia of Rome
Ernst von Siemens Foundation Music Prize of Germany
1985 Meadow Award for Excellence in the Arts
1985 Albert Schweitzer Music Award
Prize, "A Life in Music" from the "Homage to Venice" Association
1985 Performing Arts Awards from the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith

Humanitarian Awards

Annual Award of the International League of Human Rights 1974
Jewish National Fund 1987 Man of the Year
Humanitarian Award from the United Jewish Appeal Federation

Doctorates, Honoris Causa

Music, Harvard University
Music, Yale University
Music, Yale School of Music
Music, Priceton University
Music, Brown University
Music, Curtis Institute of Music
Music, Thiel College (Greenville, Pennsylvania)
Music, University of Hartford, (Hartford, Connecticut)
Music, St. Andrew's University of Scotand
Music, Catholic University of America
Music, Cambridge University (England)
Music, Trinity College of Dublin University (Ireland)
Music, University of Maryland
Music, Oxford University (England)
Music, American University (Washington, D.C.)
Music, St. Lawrence University (Canton, New York)
Music, Utica College of Syracuse University
Music, Hamilton College (Clinton, New York)
Music, University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Fine Arts, Sussex University (England)
Fine Arts, Rivier College (Nashua, New Hampshire)
Fine Arts, Duke University (Durham, North Carolina)
Fine Arts, Universite de Laval (Canada)
Arts, Shenandoah College and Conservatory
Humanities, George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)
Humane Letters, Georgetown University (Washington D.C.)
Humane Letters, Arizona State University
Humane Letters, University of Judaism
Law, University of Winnipeg (Canada)
Law, University of British Columbia (Canada)
Philosophy, Tel Aviv University (Israel)

Festival Directorships

Aldeburgh Festival, Great Britain - Artistic Director
Evian Festival, France - President

International Competition Honors

Youth Festival of Prague, 1947 - First Prize
Youth Festival of Budapest, 1949 - First Prize
International Competition of Cellists, Prague, 1950 - First Prize

Honorary Affiliations

Honorary Member, House of Beethoven, Bonn, West Germany
Honorary Senator from the University of Tubingen,West Germany
Fellow, Royal College of Music (England)
Honorary Professor of Leningrad Conservatory
Professor of Moscow of Conservatory
Honorary Professor of Cuban National Conservatory
Honorary President of New York Violoncello Society
Honorary Fellow of the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance
(highest honor for a non-citizen)

Other Distinctions

Washingtonian of the Year, 1984
State University of New York, Distinguished Citizen Award, 1984
Gold medals from the cities of:
Paris, Marseille, Lille, Dijon & Arles (France)
Tokyo (Japan)
Milan Asolo & Cortina (Italy)
Athens (Greece)
Tel Aviv & Jerusalem (Israel)
Vendrell (Catalonia, Spain)
Gold keys to the cities of:
Quebec (Canada)
Venice (Italy)
San Diego
Plaque of the city of Paris

Honorary Citizenships

Medal and Certificate of Honorary Citizenship of the City of Athens
Honorary Citizen of Lackawann County (Pennsylvania)
Citizen of honor of Vilnius, Lithuania

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*Photo courtesy of Columbia Artists Management, Inc.

Background music clip is from Ludwig von Beethoven, Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5 No.2, for Cello and Piano, Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), Sviatoslav Richter (piano) (1963, 1967); Beethoven: Complete Music for Cello and Piano; Philips D206206 (442 566-2), Philips Classics Productions 1994.