Concert violinist Jaime Jorge, who has played in prestigious halls and before heads of state, will perform in Altoona next month. Jorge, who has played at Carnegie Hall and before the king of Norway and the president of Latvia, will play classical and sacred pieces at 7 p.m. April 10 at Altoona Bible Church, 3017 Union Ave. Admission is free with an offering to be taken.

Concert violinist Jaime Jorge, who has played in prestigious halls and before heads of state, will perform in Altoona next month.

Jorge, who has played at Carnegie Hall and before the king of Norway and the president of Latvia, will play classical and sacred pieces at 7 p.m. April 10 at Altoona Bible Church, 3017 Union Ave. Admission is free with an offering to be taken.

Jorge is known throughout the world for his musical talent. In the past 23 years, he has played in more than 80 countries over six continents. He recently returned from a two-week engagement in the Ukraine and Russia where he gave 13 concerts in 10 cities.

Although his mother recognized his gift and started him on violin lessons at age 5, his ambition was not to be a musician­.

“My whole life I dreamed of being a doctor,” said Jorge, a native of Cuba.

He said as a boy, he always seemed to be sick. He suffered from rheumatic fever and his numerous throat infections led to the removal of his tonsils.

He remembers the care he received from his doctor.

“He was always so kind, so reassuring, so helpful. I wanted to be like that man,” he said of the Cuban physician.

Yet, his ability to play the violin was so impressive that even the Communist government recognized it. As a boy, he was given the opportunity to study in Moscow with some of its greatest musicians. But the opportunity came with a condition. To make it happen, Jorge and his family would have to renounce their belief in God. They refused.

When Jorge was 10, his family immigrated to the United States, where he studied under Cyrus Forough, a worldwide sought-after violin pedagogue.

During his high school years, Jorge played principal second violin for a symphony and was assistant concertmaster at another symphony. Despite his recognition as a gifted musician, Jorge pursued his boyhood dream. He performed concerts to pay his way through pre-medical school. His goal was to be a missionary doctor.

But his plan “didn’t feel right,” Jorge said. “I was deeply conflicted.”

Music was a talent that God had given him, and he felt that is what he should be doing, he said.

“That was 23 years ago,” he said. “I have had my disappointments and difficulties, but it is what I am supposed to do. I have a peace in my heart.”

Jorge performs about 200 concerts a year. Many of them are donation-driven.

“They are not all charitable. I have to make a living,” he said.

Jorge said the churches help with expenses and donations support The Healing Music Inc., a nonprofit foundation that responds to international needs. It includes Hope through Music, a program to give underprivileged children in Chattanooga, Tennessee, violins, violin lessons, and to share Jesus with them. It also supports evangelism and concerts in former Communist counties as well as trips to Cuba. In his homeland, Jorge does humanitarian and missionary work. Among the projects is the building and rebuilding of churches.

Jorge’s wife, the former Rachelle Pecovsky, takes along equipment for volleyball, basketball and other sports to support community programs. A former running back with the D.C. Divas, Jorge said she also teaches youth the fundamentals of football. She is originally from Chambersburg.

He said it is not easy to give free concerts.

“There are no guarantees,” he said, adding that he has been doing them for years. “Obviously, something has worked,” he said.

This is the Jorge’s second performance in Altoona. He performed at Altoona Bible Church last year after member Cheryl Hileman and her husband heard him perform in Nashville at a Legacy 5 New Year’s event in 2017.

She said they had an opportunity to talk to him and asked if he would consider coming to Altoona.

Hileman said his concert here was so impressive that even young adult concert-goers wished more of their friends had attended.

“Not only does he play wonderful music, he has a great message to be heard. He is a great entertainer,” she said.

Jorge said he performs recognizable classical music and Christian hymns, such as “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace,” at church concerts. Yet, his repertoire is quite extensive. He plays Broadway tunes as well as the music of other countries, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Italy, on his violin.

No matter what he plays, Jorge said, “I believe music is a powerful force in the universe. You don’t need to speak it to understand its language. People understand music. It speaks to the soul.”