Peter Nero (born
Bernard Nierow, 22 May
1934) is an American
pianist and pops conductor.
Early life
Born in
Brooklyn, New
York
, As Bernard Neirow, Nero started his formal music
training at the age of seven. By the time he was
fourteen, he was accepted to New York City's prestigious High
School of Music and Art and won a scholarship to the Juilliard School
of Music
. Constance Keene, his teacher and mentor,
once wrote in an issue of Keyboard Classics, "Vladimir Horowitz was
Peter's greatest fan!" He graduated from Brooklyn College in
1956.
Early career
Nero
recorded his
first
album in 1961, and won a
Grammy Award that year for "Best New Artist."
Since then, he has received another Grammy, garnered ten additional
nominations and released 67
albums. Nero's
early association with
RCA Records
produced 23 albums in eight years. His subsequent move to
Columbia Records resulted in a
million-selling
single and album -
Summer of '42.
His first major national
TV success came
at the age of seventeen when he was chosen to perform Gershwin's
Rhapsody in Blue on
Paul Whiteman's TV Special. He
subsequently appeared on many top variety and talk shows including
11 guest appearances on The
Ed Sullivan
Show, and numerous appearances on
Johnny Carson's
Tonight Show.
Hailed as one of the premier interpreters of Gershwin, Nero starred
in the
Emmy Award-winning NBC Special,
S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin.
Other TV credits
include performances on PBS-TV Piano Pizzazz and with the National
Symphony in Washington,
D.C.
on its July 4 special titled A Capitol
Fourth. Nero served as
music
director and pianist for the PBS-TV special
The Songs of
Johnny Mercer: Too Marvelous for
Words with co-stars
Johnny
Mathis,
Melissa Manchester
and many members of The POPS.
In 1963 Peter composed and performed the musical score for the
major motion picture "
Sunday in New
York." The title song has been recorded by over two dozen
vocalists and the score was nominated for both a Golden Globe and
Hollywood Reporter Award. He also made an appearance in the film
alongside
Jane Fonda,
Rod Taylor, and
Cliff
Robertson.
Peter's recordings over the last 15 years include CDs with full
symphony orchestra: On My Own, Classical Connections and My Way. He
recorded Peter Nero and Friends, which contains collaborations with
Mel Torme,
Maureen McGovern and
Doc Severinsen, among others. Peter's latest
CDs are romantic albums titled Love Songs for a Rainy Day and More
in Love. By popular demand, four of his earlier recordings have
been re-issued. A younger generation of music lovers can now hear
Peter on the recent
Rod Stewart CD, As
Time Goes By…The Great American Songbook, Volume II.
Awards and honors
In an issue of Keyboard Magazine,
Ray
Charles, when asked about his favorite pianist was quoted as
saying, "
Art Tatum could play anything he
wanted to. He's one of the few people who I truly believe could
play anything he thought of… and Peter Nero plays his buns
off!"
Nero's
long list of honors include six Honorary Doctorates, the most
recent from Drexel
University
in 2004, and
the prestigious International Society of Performing Arts Presenters
Award for "Excellence in the Arts." He is also included on
two historic walks of fame - one in Philadelphia
, and one in Miami, Florida
. In 1999, he received the Pennsylvania
Distinguished Arts Award, presented by Pennsylvania Governor
Tom Ridge. Previous honorees include
Marian Anderson,
James Michener,
Andrew Wyeth and
Riccardo Muti.
One of Nero's greatest achievements is being the founding Music
Director of the world renowned Peter Nero and the Philly
Pops(R).
He currently is the artistic director and conductor of Peter Nero
and the Philly Pops.
Personal life
He is an active participant committed to many important causes,
including the funding of school music programs, fundraising for the
building of new arts centers across the country, as well as
research for cancer, dystonia and autism.
Nero has long been a devotee and advocate of consumer electronics.
His expertise has led him to be dubbed a "technocrat" by leaders of
the industry. While computers and other electronics have made him
"the Gadget King," he still makes music on the traditional
Steinway concert grand piano.
He is the father of two children, Beverly and Jedd.
External links
Wikis
Map
Search
