Called “America’s best young musician” by Time magazine, classical violinist Hilary Hahn (1979– ) was born on this day in Lexington, Virginia. She began lessons just before her fourth birthday and gave her first recital at age ten, already discovering how a balanced life can grow from a single, steady passion.

“My first teacher told me to think of performance as giving a gift to the audience, as though you’re inviting them in for a party,” Hahn remembered. From the beginning, the violin was more than technique; it was a way of welcoming people into the music she loves.

Admitted to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music at age ten, five years later she played Beethoven for her European concert debut. In 1997, she released her first album, Hilary Hahn Plays Bach. “I like to record. It’s very intense,” she said. “But it’s very educational — the one time you get to listen to yourself.”

Critics heard something luminous. The Los Angeles Times described her playing as “pristine.” In The Washington Post, reviewer Joseph McClellan compared her to Jascha Heifetz, Itzhak Perlman, and Joseph Szigeti, noting that on the level of technical facility—those demanding chords and intricate counterpoint—her performances were astonishing.

Her second CD, Beethoven Violin Concerto, Bernstein Serenade (1999), paired the music of Beethoven and Leonard Bernstein. “Both were 36 when they wrote their concertos,” she explained in the liner notes. “Both were pianists and conductors, as well as composers.” The recording earned another Diapason d’or and a Grammy nomination, affirming the clarity of her musical voice.

When asked for advice, Hahn told young musicians “to always remember what my first teacher Mrs. Berkovich told me: ‘You only have to practice on the days that you eat.’”

“I love music,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be able to focus on music in my life.”