 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Peter Nero" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Peter Nero | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Bernard Nierow (1934-05-22)May 22, 1934 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 6, 2023(2023-07-06) (aged 89) Eustis, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, conductor |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Website | www.peternero.com |
Peter Nero (bornBernard Nierow; May 22, 1934 – July 6, 2023) was an American pianist and pops conductor.[1] He directed thePhilly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and earned twoGrammy Awards, including the award forBest New Artist in 1962, as well as a total of 8 nominations.[2]
Born inNew York, 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'sHigh School of Music & Art and won a scholarship to theJuilliard School of Music, where he later studied part-time.[1][3] He took private lessons fromAbram Chasins andConstance Keene.[3] Keene once wrote in an issue ofKeyboard Classics "Vladimir Horowitz was Peter's greatest fan!"[citation needed] He graduated fromBrooklyn College in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.[3]
Nero made his television debut at the age of 17, playing "Rhapsody in Blue" on a special hosted byPaul Whiteman.[3] He recorded his first album under the name of Bernie Nerow in July 1957 on the Mode label (MOD-LP117), which shows his technical virtuosity in the jazz genre. Nero recordedPiano Forte in 1961, and won aGrammy Award in 1961 forBest New Artist.[3][4]The next year, he won the Grammy for Best Performance By An Orchestra Or Instrumentalist With Orchestra - Primarily Not Jazz Or For Dancing for his albumThe Colorful Peter Nero.[4] Since then, he has garnered 10 additional nominations and released 67 albums. Nero's early association withRCA Victor produced 23 albums in eight years. His subsequent move toColumbia Records resulted in the million-selling single and albumSummer of '42.
His first major national TV success came at the age of 17, when he was chosen to perform Gershwin'sRhapsody in Blue onPaul Whiteman's TV special. He subsequently appeared on many top variety and talk shows, including 11 guest appearances onThe Ed Sullivan Show and numerous appearances onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Hailed as one of the premier interpreters ofGeorge Gershwin, Nero starred in theEmmy Award-winningS'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin (1972).[5] Other TV credits included performances on PBS-TV'sPiano Pizzazz and with theNational Symphony in Washington, D.C., on its July 4 special titledA Capitol Fourth. Nero served as music director and pianist for the PBS-TV specialThe Songs ofJohnny Mercer: Too Marvelous for Words (1997) with co-starsJohnny Mathis,Melissa Manchester and many members of The POPS.[6]
In 1963, Nero composed and performed the musical score for the motion pictureSunday in New York.[3] The title song, which was sung byMel Torme, has been recorded by over two dozen vocalists, and the score was nominated for both a Golden Globe and Hollywood Reporter Award.[citation needed] He also made an appearance in the film (playing himself) which co-starredJane Fonda,Rod Taylor,Robert Culp, andCliff Robertson. In the film, Jane Fonda's character gave her brother (played by Robertson) a Nero recording.
Nero worked with notable musicians, includingFrank Sinatra,Mel Torme,Arthur Fiedler,Andy Williams,Ray Charles,Dizzy Gillespie,Diane Schuur,Johnny Mathis,Roger Kellaway andElton John.[3]
Nero was the founding music director ofPeter Nero and the Philly Pops, which he led from 1979 to 2013.[7]
From 1990 to 1999, Nero was also Pops Music Director of theFlorida Philharmonic Orchestra, conducting and performing with his jazz trio throughout Southeastern Florida.
Nero's recordings included albums with symphony orchestras:On My Own,Classical Connections andMy Way. He recordedPeter Nero and Friends, on which collaborated withMel Torme,Maureen McGovern,Doc Severinsen and others. Nero's last albumsLove Songs for a Rainy Day andMore in Love focused on romantic themes. By popular demand, four of his earlier recordings were reissued. He appeared onRod Stewart's albumAs Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II. He released over 60 albums in his career.
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 inEustis, Florida, on July 6, 2023, at the age of 89.[8]
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 GovernorTom Ridge; previous honorees includeMarian Anderson,James Michener,Andrew Wyeth andRiccardo Muti. In 2009, Nero was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from theAmerican Federation of Musicians.[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
