Johnny Gandelsman didn’t answer the calls from the unlisted number the first few times. When he eventually picked up, the news stunned him.
The acclaimed violinist found out he was one of 22 recipients of a 2024 MacArthur Foundation $800,000 no-strings-attached fellowship, colloquially known as a “Genius Grant.”
“My reaction was total shock,” Gandelsman said. “I still don’t really understand or believe that it happened, but it’s a great honor to be part of this class.”…