Pianist and IU Jacobs School of Music professor André Watts dies at 77

Internationally renowned pianist and IU Jacobs School of Music professor André Watts died on Wednesday, July 12, at age 77, at his home in Bloomington. Watts died of prostate cancer, having been diagnosed with the disease in 2016.

Past H-T interview with Watts: IU Philharmonic concert features Andre Watts

First breaking into the music scene as a teenage prodigy whose talents amazed both his seasoned contemporaries and the American public, Watts' performance career spanned more than 60 years, earning such accolades as a Grammy award and presidential recognition.

Whether it was as a guiding mentor on Indiana University's campus or a larger-than-life figure on the television screen, Watts' impact as an enduring luminary transcends time and beyond the borders of his chosen home in Bloomington.

From playing with Leonard Bernstein to hanging out with Mister Rogers

André Watts was born on June 20, 1946, in Nuremberg, Germany, and was the son of a noncommissioned officer stationed overseas for the U.S. Army and an amateur pianist from Hungary. After briefly studying the violin, Watts soon emerged as a prodigy in piano, receiving his first lessons from his mother at the age of 6. In his early life, Watts' family relocated to Philadelphia, where he played with the Philadelphia Orchestra by age 9 and studied at the Philadelphia Musical Academy.

When Watts was 16, he emerged on the international stage and screen in the early 1960s after winning a competition to perform in celebrated conductor Leonard Bernstein’s televised “Young People’s Concerts” series with the New York Philharmonic orchestra, broadcast across America on CBS.

Two weeks after his television debut, as noted in an archived program, Watts was hand-selected as a substitute for an ailing pianist in another scheduled performance with the Philharmonic. These performances launched Watts's career to the national circuit.

At 17, Watts received a Grammy Award for Most Promising New Classical Recording Artist. By the age of 20, Watts was fully booked for 150-concert performance seasons three years in advance. Throughout his decades-long career, he performed in major cities around the world with renowned orchestras, including the Berlin and Israel philharmonics, the London Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.

His 1976 recital, which aired on PBS Live from Lincoln Center, was the first full-length recital broadcast nationally in the history of television. Watts appeared on numerous programs produced by PBS, the BBC, and Arts & Entertainment Network. One of his most well-remembered televised appearances was in 1987 when he was a featured performer on an episode of the children's television show, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

At 26, Watts became the youngest person ever to receive an honorary doctorate from Yale University; he subsequently received numerous honors from other schools, including his alma mater, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. He continued to receive numerous accolades and honors throughout his career. A few of note include an honorific knighthood from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the National Medal of Arts from then-U.S. President Barack Obama.

In 2014, Watts was further honored by being inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

Longtime IU Jacobs School professor mourned by colleagues

By 2004, Watts joined Indiana University as a faculty member within the Jacobs School of Music. At the time of his death, he was a distinguished professor of piano and the Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music.

“André Watts was a treasured and beloved musician, teacher, colleague and friend to so very many,” said Jacobs School Dean Abra Bush in a news release. “His graceful, elegant presence at the Jacobs School of Music will be deeply missed.”

In addition to his virtuosity, Watts was also a pillar of influence on campus and a role model for Black musicians.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, IU professor and conductor Thomas Wilkins described Watts as a devoted teacher who was eager to “hand down this ferociousness about trying to become better.”

“Whenever we were onstage together, there was this unspoken acknowledgment that we were in a world where a lot of people think we shouldn’t be,” said Wilkins, who is Black. “It was an affirmation.”

Watts is survived by his wife, Joan Brand Watts; a stepson, William Dalton; a stepdaughter, Amanda Rees; and seven step-grandchildren.

Reach Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Grammy winner and IU professor André Watts dies in Bloomington