André Watts, a renowned American pianist and professor at the IU Jacobs School of Music passed away on July 13, 2023, at the age of 77.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of André Watts, who delighted and inspired audiences for six decades at the piano, including many performances at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and all those he touched… pic.twitter.com/gulRO5A7bL
— Hollywood Bowl (@HollywoodBowl) July 14, 2023
In 2004, Watts started teaching at the Jacobs School. When he was 16 years old, Watts performed in front of a large audience for the first time with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. He was recruited to replace Glenn Gould with the Philharmonic. Watts’ career is said to have begun with that performance.
You can watch one of his performances in the video provided below:
In 2018 Watts discussed about his meeting with Leonard Bernstein. He said:
“I always say to people… Bernstein came with a big platter that had a career on it and said, ‘Hey kid, you want this, it’s yours.’”
In 1988, he was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize, the highest accolade in American classical music. At age 26, he was Yale’s youngest honorary doctorate recipient. President Barack Obama awarded Watts with the National Medal of Arts in 2011 and he was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2014.
Watts is friends with Evelyne Brancart, a lecturer at the Jacobs school. She claimed that because of his keen observation of people and the human condition, he had a deep affinity for various musical genres and composers. She said:
“He was a very dedicated and caring teacher and he was communicating, not only music and piano, but deep life wisdom and profound musical insights.”
Watts performed with the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Watts said about his career:
“The first thing I ever wanted to be was a writer and somehow that didn’t work out, I wanted to tell stories. So now, as a concertizing pianist, I’m reduced to trying to tell stories at the piano through music.”
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