Robert DeGaetano

Robert DeGaetano (1946-2015) was an American concert pianist and composer.

Early life and education DeGaetano was born in 1946 in New York City. He studied with Alexis Weissenberg and Sviatoslav Richter. He graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Music in 1969, and obtained a Master of Music in Professional Studies in 1971. He also studied with Adele Marcus, Rosina Lhévinne, and a Rotary International scholarship, recommended by Richter and David Oistrakh, made it possible for him to continue studying with Alexis Weissenberg in Paris.

Career In the mid 1970s DeGaetano made his performing debut in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 1975 DeGaetano met Samuel Barber as DeGaetano was preparing to perform Barber's piano sonata at Carnegie Hall and they became close friends for the five years that he lived. He has credited Barber for inspiring him to compose, when he visited him in his Santa Cristina chateau in the Dolomites.

During his early career, he taught at the Mannes College of Music, and oversaw a TV program called the 'Walrus Tales'. In 1986, DeGaetano premiered his first Piano Sonata in New York City. The Jackson Symphony Orchestra in Michigan commissioned him to write a piano concerto, his first, which he completed in 1987. and was performed on concert tours on three continents. He died on February 12, 2015, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Discography DeGaetano created nine albums, playing 19th and 20th century composers as well as his own compositions. In September 2013, he released his last album, a recording of his first piano concerto on Navona Records, which is distributed by Naxos Records.