Luise Vosgerchian (November 9, 1922 – March 13, 2000) was an American concert pianist and music professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Biography

Vosgerchian was born in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Sq ...

in 1922, the daughter of Armenian immigrants. Her mother, Araxy Kurkjian, had immediate family who perished in the Armenian genocide. Her mother died in 1998 at the age of 102, though there is little known on how close they remained. Vosgerchian signed up for piano lessons almost immediately after hearing her first piano recital. Several years later, when she prepared to play her debut recital, she noticed a misprint in the program about her name. She didn’t seem to mind, so from then on, the spelling of her first name changed from “Louise” to “Luise”. She met Kamil Pagacik in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1949 and later married him. She returned to Boston in 1956. After Vosgerchian's death in 2000, a memorial service was held for her at

Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard University alumni's sacrifices in defending the Union during the American Civil W ...

Education and Career

Luise Vosgerchian studied at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

until 1945. Vosgerchian began her career as a music instructor at

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

. She began teaching at

in 1959 and was a mentor of many prominent musicians. Among her most notable students were Allison Charney, John Adams,

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and Richard St. Clair. She was made a full professor in 1971, and was named department chairman in 1974. She later retired in 1990, and her students organized a tribute concert at Sanders Theater. Physicist

Brian Greene Brian Randolph Greene (born February 9, 1963) is an American physicist known for his research on string theory. He is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, director of its center for theoretical physics, and the cha ...

described Vosgerchian in ''Until the End of Time'' as one of his most influential teachers, noting she "had a deep interest in how scientific discoveries relate to aesthetic sensibilities". In 1948, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote about one of her recitals. Harvard awards Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award to students who are dedicated to music and arts education.

References

1922 births 2000 deaths Harvard University faculty New England Conservatory alumni Brandeis University faculty 20th-century American classical pianists 20th-century American women pianists American women classical pianists People from Watertown, Massachusetts American expatriates in France {{US-pianist-stub