Gloria Greene

Gloria Green, 80, conert pianist, teacher, recording artist passed away April 13, 2010.

As an expert in the interpretation and performance technique Beethoven developed to play his own sonatas, her loss is felt keenly by pianists and teachers to whom Gloria Greene passed on her unique musical heritage.

She studied for nearly ten years with the celebrated English concert pianist and conductor Ethel Leginska, founder of the first Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor of the Boston Women's Symphony and the Chicago Women's Symphony. Leginska's teacher was Theodor Leschetizky, co-founder of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, who studied with the renowned Carl Czerny. Czerny was Beethoven's principal student and also the instructor of Franz Liszt. From Czerny to Leschetizky to Leginska to Gloria Greene, Beethoven's expertise in phrasing, and interpretation through touch is the unique musical legacy Gloria Greene has handed on to two generations of concert pianists.

An acclaimed child prodigy, she began her 35-year career as a touring concert pianist at age eleven. She has performed as a recitalist and guest soloist with numerous prominent symphony orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Washington Chamber Orchestra, NBC Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic. Bruno Walter and Otto Klemperer, two renowned Beethoven Conductors, trained and guided the young Gloria. Other legendary conductors instrumental in her musical development were Leopold Stokowski, William Steinberg, Hans Kindler, Alfred Wallenstein and Efrem Kurtz.

Since retiring from active performing, Gloria Greene has concentrated her efforts on piano clinics, master classes and lecture demonstrations, focusing on the interpretation and performance techniques that Beethoven himself developed to play his own sonatas. She is a member of the European Piano Teachers Association in London, the Music Teachers National association and an Associate Teacher for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada. She is an alumnus of Occidental College and the University of California and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Newport Music Festival, Newport, RI.

Her latest recording, a CD album of important short works of the romantic and impressionist eras, was released in May 2007 by Fader8 Productions.

She was born Nov. 17, 1927 in Long Beach, California, the only child of Franklin Greene and Ethel Cresap. She is survived by Theodore Thomas, her husband of 56 years, her daughter, Candice Thomas of Clearwater, FL, her son, Randall Thomas of Lancaster, PA and three grandchildren.

She has resided in Reading since 2001. Her death was from natural causes.