Peter Nero

This season, Mr. Nero will be performing more than 100 concerts with his trio as well as Symphony Orchestra engagements throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Included are over 20 concerts each year in what is now his third decade with Peter Nero and The Philly Pops(r), where he serves as music director and conductor. In the 2000 - 2001 season he will be hosting a brand new series of 16 concerts at 4 South Florida venues with the Boca Pops. This will be the 50th Anniversary season of this exciting orchestra.

On October 20th of this past year, Peter Nero received the prestigious Distinguished Arts Award presented by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge at a ceremony and reception at the new Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, PA. Previous honorees were Bill Cosby, Marian Anderson, James Michener, Jimmy Stewart, Andrew Wyeth and Riccardo Mutti.

One of Nero's most recent accomplishments is the creation of a dramatic new composition written for astronaut/narrator and symphony orchestra. Entitled "Voyage into Space(c)," this 17 minute work utilizes multi-media visual effects. A friend of Senator John Glenn, Nero was honored that excerpts of this music awakened the Senator during his recent mission in space and that he was a guest of the Senator at the lift off at Kennedy Space Center. Peter Nero and The Philly Pops performed "Voyage into Space" at NASA's 40th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1998, two weeks before the historic launch.

Nero's recordings continue to be produced at an accelerated pace, and they now total more than 63. His association with RCA Records produced 23 albums in eight years, eight GRAMMY nominations and two GRAMMY Awards. His subsequent move to Columbia Records resulted in two additional GRAMMY nominations, as well as a million-selling gold single and album, Summer of '42 now available on CD. Cashbox Magazine named him the world's Number One Instrumentalist.

Nero has recently recorded three CD's with full symphony orchestra: "On My Own", "Classic Connections", and "Peter Nero: My Way". One of Nero's more recent releases "Peter Nero and Friends", includes collaborations with, among others, Mel Torme, Maureen McGovern, and Doc Severinsen. His latest CD's are "Love Songs for a Rainy Day" and "More in Love", both romantic albums. By popular demand, several of his earlier recordings have just been re-released by BMG Special Products and are available on the Collectables label.

With a strong belief in music education, Peter Nero is a national spokesperson for the National Association of Music Educators and continues to reach young people by presenting educational programs throughout the United States. He has worked with hundreds of students in association with the "GRAMMY in the Schools(r)" events, a nationwide educational program presented by the NARAS Foundation. During one of these events, Nero thrilled students in the Mid-Atlantic All-Star GRAMMY High School Jazz Band by jamming with them at a concert at the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia. At another event, he taught a piano master class at Manhattan School of Music in New York City. In 1998, Nero launched "Jazz in the Schools," an educational outreach program presented by members of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. The success of that program has led to the establishment of "Jazz in the Schools" as an ongoing series in many other schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Brooklyn-born musician started his formal music training at the age of seven. By the time he was 14, he was accepted to attend New York City's prestigious High School of Music and Art and won a scholarship to the famed Juilliard School of Music. Constance Keene wrote in a recent issue of Keyboard Classics, "Vladimir Horowitz was Peter's greatest fan!"

At a very young age, Peter began performing on television. One of his first major national successes came at age 18 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 several appearances on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."

Hailed as the premier interpreter of Gershwin, Nero starred in the NBC Emmy Award winning "'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin." His impressive television history also includes a profile on CNN as well as two programs on CBS-TV -- the Radio City Music Hall Special Tribute to the American Constitution for which Nero composed the opening work which involved 500 performers and symphony orchestra and a Dick Clark Special CBS-TV presentation.

No stranger to PBS-TV, Nero starred in "Piano Pizzazz" and performed with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. on it's July 4th Special entitled "A Capitol Fourth." Most recently, he starred in and conducted the Philly Pops on the PBS-TV special "The Songs of Johnny Mercer: Too Marvelous for Words" with co-stars Johnny Mathis and Melissa Manchester. He continues to enjoy appearances on national talk shows including "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" as well as commercials like the one for Chock Full O' Nuts coffee which received heavy airing on national TV.

With over 100 recital and symphony concerts each season, Peter Nero also finds time to tour with his trio for such engagements as his appearance at Radio City Music Hall in New York with Frank Sinatra. In addition to Las Vegas, he recently had two week-long sold out runs at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City.

A number of films have the benefit of Nero performances including "Sunday in New York," for which he composed the score and title song. The latter has become a staple among jazz musicians and has been recorded by more than a dozen vocalists. His other compositions include His World, Blue Fantasy and a musicalization of "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl." The "Diary" includes 15 songs written by Nero, with lyrics culled from Anne's writing. It has been performed several dozen times since its creation.

Nero's list of honors throughout his career is too long to list here, but he is proud to have received four Honorary Doctorates and the International Society of Performing Arts Presenters Award for "Excellence in the Arts." He is also included on two historic walks of fame -- one in Miami, Florida. The other is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Peter has been a devotee and advocate of consumer electronics and his expertise has led him to be dubbed a "technocrat" by leaders of the industry. If it's plugged in or battery operated, then Peter has it. While computers and other electronics have made him "the Gadget King", Peter still makes music on the traditional Steinway concert grand piano and has been an official Steinway artist for over forty years.

When not touring around the world, Nero makes his home on the east coast of the United States. He has two children -- Beverly, a successful actress residing with her husband in California and Jedd, a commercial real estate entrepreneur residing with his wife in New York City. Both children have made him a grandfather.