My First Lessons with Gregor Piatigorsky — by Paul Katz
In 1961, Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky and William Primrose joined the faculty of the University of Southern California where I was a cello student studying with the highly inspiring Gabor Rejto. As fate would have it, Rejto was leaving on sabbatical that year and so I auditioned for Piatigorsky and was admitted to his first class at USC. Two amazing years with him followed—he was truly a creative genius, a great psychologist, and a supportive father figure that cared deeply about everyone that he taught. We were a new class of students, however, and as we entered the room that first day, none of us knew what to expect: Excited that I was going to be studying with the 'Great Grisha,' I bought a new short-sleeved, bright orange shirt for this special occasion. Made from [...]
