MORGANTOWN -- Concertmaster, teacher, and master violinist Jacques Israelievitch is one of the most distinguished performing artists in North America and abroad.

He graduated from the Paris Conservatory at age 16 and has appeared with many of the world's major orchestras.

Tonight he broke down the performances of three students in order to pass onto them a lifetime's worth of knowledge.

Nathan Rihn is a junior violinist at WVU with music education in his future.

"I would love to be a music teacher," Rihn said. "I would love to have a young orchestra in front of me to work with."

Tonight, he, and two other students had the honor of participating in a master class with internationally acclaimed violinist Jacques Israelievitch, and got a few tips he could use.

"They had to do with how to practice, how to get a better tone, sometimes how to play better in time," said Israelievitch, who is currently chair of strings at the Chautauqua Institution and a full-time faculty member at York University in Toronto.

Israelievitch also fixed a specific problem Rihn had and improved his tone dramatically.

"He got my right hand in a good position so that way all the hair can stay flat on the strings," explained Rihn.

Rihn says the advice he received had a big impact.

"Well, first I'm going to go to the practice room," he laughed, "And second, we had notes that were given to us, so I'll go off those notes."

How does the master teach in such a short amount of time?

"I usually divide the coaching into technical matters as well as musical matters," he emphasized. "My sense is that it will make them think eventually when they get advice from various people they develop."

Israelievitch's discography features more than 100 albums. For more information, visit his website below.