A Tribute to Gregor Piatigorsky

Abstract

Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) was born in Russia and began playing cello at age seven. Two years later he was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory as a scholarship student. In 1919, Piatigorsky was invited to join the prestigious Lenin String Quartet and was appointed principal cellist of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. He left Soviet Russia in 1921 and played throughout Poland and Germany. In 1928 he relinquished his post as principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic to begin a triumphant international career as a cello soloist. He made his American debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1929. Piatigorsky is particularly noted for his collaborations with his eminent colleagues, and the Heifetz-Piatigorsky Chamber Music Series of the sixties has become legendary. From 1962 until his death, Piatigorsky taught cello at the University of Southern California. His classes became world renowned, and in 1975 the Piatigorsky Chair of Music was established to honor his virtuosity as an artist and teacher.