Photo Credit: Samantha Soule
New York, New York (July 9, 2014) – the community of Greenwich House mourns the loss of its beloved teacher, Maestro German Diez, chairman of the piano department at Greenwich House Music School. For more than half a century, German has made music an integral part of life in the West Village at Greenwich House Music School.
First coming to the United States from La Habana, Cuba upon winning the National Music Award Competition in 1945, he then received a personal scholarship by world famous artists Maestro Claudio Arrau, and his assistant Rafael De Silva, to study in the United States for a period of 10 years. German began his tenure at the Music School in 1950 and has since then, he has taught over 1,500 students. German’s influence can be seen in every aspect of the school’s operations, including the way it gauges student progress through recitals and end of year concerts. German elevated the school’s stature when he established the Piano Master Class Series over twenty years ago, which has featured renowned pianists, such as Joseph Bloch, Sam Sanders, Seymour Bernstein, David Dubal, Jeffrey Swann and Sara Davis Buechner. Among his students are Erica Nickrenz, of the Eroica Trio and recent Academy Award winning composer, Bobby Lopez .
“He was a towering figure in music education, and our hearts weigh heavy today as we at Greenwich House Music School deeply mourn his passing. German’s talent, service, dedication, and teaching abilities are something that all of the faculty and staff here at the music school aspired to, and we will continue his legacy by honoring his tireless commitment to our students,” notes Rachel Black, music school director.
His insightfulness, dedication and passion for music and the close-knit community at Greenwich House will be sorely missed.
