| Year | Artist | Orchestra | |
| 2009 | Hilary Hahn | Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra | |
| 2008 | James Ehnes | Vancouver Symphony Orchestra | |
| 2007 | Angelin Chang | Angelin Chang and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony | |
| 2006 | Martha Argerich | Martha Argerich and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra | |
| 2005 | Anne-Sophie Mutter | Anne-Sophie Mutter | |
| 2004 | Maxim Vengerov | Maxim Vengerov | |
| 2003 | Hilary Hahn | Academy of St. Martin in the Fields | |
| 2002 | Daniel Barenboim, Dale Clevenger, Larry Combs, Alex Klein, David McGill | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| 2001 | Joshua Bell | London Philharmonic | |
| 2000 | Martha Argerich | Montreal Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1999 | Anne-Sophie Mutter | London Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1998 | Yo-Yo Ma | Philadelphia Orchestra | |
| 1997 | Yefim Bronfman | Los Angeles Philharmonic | |
| 1996 | Itzhak Perlman | Boston Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1995 | Yo-Yo Ma | Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1994 | Anne-Sophie Mutter | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1993 | Yo-Yo Ma | Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1992 | John Browning | Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1991 | Itzhak Perlman | Israel Philharmonic Orchestra | |
| 1990 | Yo-Yo Ma | Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1989 | Vladimir Horowitz | La Scala Opera Orchestra | |
| 1988 | Itzhak Perlman | Vienna Philharmonic | |
| 1986 | Yo-Yo Ma | London Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1985 | Wynton Marsalis | English Chamber Orchestra | |
| 1984 | Wynton Marsalis | National Philharmonic Orchestra | |
| 1983 | Itzhak Perlman | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1982 | Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman | New York Philharmonic | |
| 1981 | Itzhak Perlman | Boston Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1981 | Itzhak Perlman,Mstislav Rostropovich | Concertgebouw Orchestra | |
| 1980 | Maurizio Pollini | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1979 | Vladimir Horowitz | New York Philharmonic for Rachmaninoff: Con. No. 3 in D Minor | |
| 1978 | Itzhak Perlman | London Philharmonic Orchestra | |
| 1977 | Arthur Rubinstein | London Philharmonic Orchestra | |
| 1976 | Alicia de Larrocha | London Philharmonic | |
| 1975 | David Oistrakh | New Philharmonia | |
| 1974 | Vladimir Ashkenazy | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1973 | Arthur Rubinstein | Philadelphia Orchestra | |
| 1972 | Julian Bream | London Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1966 | Arthur Rubinstein | Boston Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1965 | Isaac Stern | Philadelphia Orchestra | |
| 1964 | Arthur Rubinstein | Boston Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1963 | Isaac Stern | Columbia Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1962 | Isaac Stern | Philadelphia Orchestra | |
| 1961 | Sviatoslav Richter | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
| 1960 | Van Cliburn | Symphony of the Air Orchestra | |
| 1959 | Van Cliburn | Symphony of the Air Orchestra | |