Peter Nero
Peter Nero (born Bernard Nierow; May 22, 1934 – July 6, 2023) was an American pianist and pops conductor.[1] He directed the Philly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and earned two Grammy Awards, including the award for Best New Artist in 1962, as well as a total of 8 nominations.[2]
For the cricket umpire, see Peter Nero (umpire).
Peter Nero
Bernard Nierow
May 22, 1934
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
July 6, 2023 (aged 89)
Eustis, Florida, U.S.
Musician, conductor
Piano
Early life[edit]
Born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] as Bernard Nierow, he started his formal music training at the age of seven.[3] He studied piano under Frederick Bried. By the time he was 14, he was accepted to New York City's High School of Music & Art and won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music, where he later studied part-time.[1][3] He took private lessons from Abram Chasins and Constance Keene.[3] Keene once wrote in an issue of Keyboard Classics "Vladimir Horowitz was Peter's greatest fan!" He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.[3]
Personal life and death[edit]
Nero was married and divorced three times. His first wife was childhood sweetheart Marcia Dunner, with whom he had two children, Beverly and Jedd, and three grandchildren: Robert, Nicole and Gordon.[3] Nero died of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Eustis, Florida, on July 6, 2023, at the age of 89.[8]
Awards and honors[edit]
In an interview with Keyboard Magazine, Ray Charles was asked who his favorite pianist was. "Art Tatum could play anything he wanted to," Charles replied, "...and Peter Nero [also] plays his buns off!"
In addition to the two Grammy Awards, Nero's honors included six honorary doctorates, the most recent from Drexel University in 2004, and the International Society of Performing Arts Presenters Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was also included on historic Walks of Fame in Philadelphia and Miami, Florida. In 1999, he received the Pennsylvania Distinguished Arts Award from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge; previous honorees include Marian Anderson, James Michener, Andrew Wyeth and Riccardo Muti. In 2009, Nero was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Federation of Musicians.[9]