Make us a part of your
Valentine's Day Celebrations
PIANo from page 51
became executive director of East
Meadow Jewish Center in Brooklyn.
Nero's mother, born in New York,
taught foreign languages in the city's
public schools.
"My father worked day and night
during the week, so on Saturdays, he'd
take me to lessons, a half-hour by sub-
way," the pianist says.
At the weekly lessons, Nero's father
would listen to everything the teacher
said and scrupulously take notes.
Then, he'd go home and transcribe
those notes onto 3x5 cards for his son
to review during the week.
"I saved them all. For [my father's]
75th birthday, I put them all in an
album and gave them to him," says
Nero, who remembers his mother
returning to their Brooklyn apartment
at around 5 p.m. weekday afternoons
and calling out the window for him to
come inside and practice the piano.
"In those days, if your mom said,
lump,' you jumped," he says.
As she prepared dinner, his mother
would listen to every note. Says Nero,
"If I started to boogie-woogie, I'd
hear, 'Bernie!"'
At 14, the young pianist was accept-
ed at the city's prestigious High School
of Music and Art.
"At first, I didn't want to go," he
says. "I had to leave my friends; it was
32 stops on the subway.
"They made a deal with me — go
for six mpriths, then we'll see. After
two weeks, I knew it was for me."
After graduation, he won a scholar-
ship to the Juilliard School of Music
— "only 30 subway stops."
A television appearance with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra at age 17,
in which he soloed in Gershwin's
Rhapsody In Blue, first brought his
name before the public. However, it
wasn't until 1960 that Nero began his
pops career at RCA records. In their
search for a superstar, the record
company had auditioned more than
100 pianists.
Starting at RCA and continuing at
Columbia Records, Nero churned out
at least three well-reviewed albums a
year through 1973. He dismisses this
achievement, saying, "When you
signed a contract back then, that's
what you did."
So far, Nero has made 67 record-
ings, from lushly orchestrated pops-
style to harder-edged jazz format.
Most recently, he's recorded three
CDs with symphony orchestras and
two CDs of romantic ballads. Among
his reissues are the million-selling sin-
gle and album Summer of '42, dating
from 1971.
On The Podium
Nero took up conducting "in self-
defense."
"Playing with orchestras, I'd be
assigned some assistant conductor,
who usually didn't look at the music
until I got there," he says. "They did-
n't have pops experience, didn't take
it seriously."
Then, one night in the 1970s, a
conductor in Pittsburgh threw out his
back just before the concert. Nero vol-
unteered to take over and was a hit.
In 1979, while continuing to tour
and record as a pianist, he founded the
Philly Pops, an independent orchestra
performing everything from classics to
big band, Broadway to rock roll.
A great orchestra can perform any-
thing, Nero says. "Our concerts are for
people who love all kinds of music.
We've learned that audiences want an
eclectic mix, a mix they can't get any-
where else."
The Philly Pops, which recently
took residence at Philadelphia's new
Kimmel Center for the Performing
Arts, is the largest of the 10 independ-
ent pops orchestras nationwide. And,
Nero says, its concerts are "102 per-
cent" sold out.
Before his DSO appearance, Nero
will complete a series of 15 shows with
his jazz trio in Florida's Palm Beach
County. From Detroit, it's on to
Philadelphia and back on the podium
for rehearsals with the Philly Pops.
Whether it's pops, jazz or classical,
Nero says his first responsibility is to
make something vibrate within each
person in the audience.
"Art is by definition 'artificial," he
says. "We use artificial things to make
people feel something authentic.
What is music but notes on a printed
page? Our job is to make those notes
come alive." ❑
dinner
MONDAY - THURSDAY, 5PM - 1 OPM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, 5PM - 11PM
CLOSED SUNDAY
1824 west 14 mile road royal oak, michigan 48073 248-655-5000
Deli Nosh Special
—
Buy 1 pound or more of your choice of
Our Famous Corned Beef, Natural Turkey Breast
or Our Tender Pastrami & Get
FREE*
,0009-
• 1 lb. Coleslaw or Potato Salad
• 1 lb. Double Baked R_ye Bread
• Russian Dressing • Old & New Dill Pickles
I
1 coupon per customer
Bloom's deli trays use Kosher meats only
CORNED BEEF
UNITED
meat &de.'
Good with Coupon • expires 2/20/05
MEER MEM,
32418 Northwestern Hwy.,
between 14 & Middlebelt
248.855.9463
Pianist-conductor Peter Nero will
appear with soloists Alyson
Cambridge and Leonard Rowe as
the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
presents five performances of "A
Gershwin Valentine."
Performances are 10:45 a.m. and
8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10; 8:30
p.m. Friday, Feb. 11; 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 12; and 3 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 13. Ticket prices
range from $15-$100. For ticket
information, go to
www.DetroitSymphony.com or
call (313) 576-5111.
- IN
-
:-:1
-
1:-:1
Tfir %Luc, Niko
Servin, tite great torte of Etiu'orto
"---1-;•:1 •
-
- 17.•: •
-
• 1: -:1 -
•
If the occalion if credal...
the Flan fkotild be too!!
I.
Dinner for Two
ETHIOPIAN FEAST
VEGETARIAN FEAST
I.
$
$
30.00
25.00
offer expires February 28th, 2005 - with coupon
a
J1ST
545 West 9 Mile • Femdale • 248-547-6699
221 E. Washington Rd. • Ann Arbor • 734-998-4746
Open for Dinner Only • Hours —Sun 3-9, Mon-Thurs 5-9, Fri-Sat 4-11
1•24 El Col 11104 Ell 101 CI
931900
2/ 3
2005