| Jourdan Urbach,
15, of Roslyn Heights, N.Y., a sophomore at
Roslyn High School and a student at the
Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division in
New York City, has used his reputation and
highly acclaimed abilities as a violin
prodigy to raise more than $1 million for
national charities focused on neurological
illnesses. When he was just 7, Jourdan met
an internationally renowned neurosurgeon,
who took Jourdan on a tour of a pediatric
intensive care unit. “I saw firsthand the
suffering of children with neurological
diseases,” Jourdan said. “I left with a
strong determination to bring these children
some measure of peace, temporal enjoyment, a
little contagious enthusiasm, and a reminder
of what’s outside the ICU door.” Jourdan
recruited other musical prodigies from
Juilliard and began presenting monthly
performances for children in hospitals
throughout the New York City area. Jourdan
then realized that he could do even more for
kids with neurological illnesses, by drawing
upon his fame and contacts in the classical
music world to stage benefit performances
for large audiences. Since then, he has
headlined a series of concerts, including a
gala evening at Carnegie Hall, two recitals
at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and a performance
at the Wortham Center in Houston. All of the
proceeds have been donated to charities such
as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,
The Institute for Music and Neurologic
Function, and Beth Israel Medical Center’s
Hyman-Newman Institute for Neurology and
Neurosurgery. Jourdan also promoted
neurological research by delivering lectures
for national medical organizations, and
appearing on network television programs.
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