Harvey D. Wedeen (March 23, 1927 – March 13, 2015) was an American classical pianist and piano teacher. He served as the chair of the keyboard department at the

Boyer College of Music and Dance Boyer () is a French surname. In rarer cases, it can be a corruption or deliberate alteration of other names. Origins and statistics Boyer is found traditionally along the Mediterranean (Provence, Languedoc), the Rhône valley, Auvergne, Limou ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

for 51 years until 2012. Wedeen's early musical training includes piano studies with renowned French pianists

Robert Casadesus Robert Marcel Casadesus (7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a distinguished musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, ...

and

Gaby Casadesus Gaby Casadesus (August 9, 1901 – November 12, 1999) was a French classical pianist and teacher born in Marseilles, France. She was married to the French pianist Robert Casadesus and their son Jean was also a notable pianist. Biography Born ...

, as well as music theory and composition studies with legendary French composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

. After receiving a degree in French literature at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, he studied under the tutelage of

Adele Marcus Adele Marcus (February 22, 1906 May 3, 1995) was an American pianist and instructor whose career was based at the Juilliard School in New York City. Life and career Marcus was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the youngest of 13 children of a rabbi ...

at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

, obtaining a master's degree in piano performance in 1951. Wedeen began to teach at Temple University in 1964, and he played a vital role in establishing and developing the performance, pedagogy, and early music programs at the keyboard department at Temple. Musicians he recruited to the keyboard department include classical pianists

Lambert Orkis Lambert Orkis (born 1946, Philadelphia) is an American classical pianist. His career has been based on many differing roles: ranging from being the collaborative pianist for Anne-Sophie Mutter for works of piano and violin chamber music since 198 ...

, Alexander Fiorillo, and harpsichordist and early music scholar Joyce Lindorff. He retired in 2012 and continued to teach shortly before his death. His notable students include Canadian pianist

Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ (born September 5, 1961), is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Gr ...

, American pianist Charles Abramovic, Durch/Israeli pianist and early keyboard performer Michael Tsalka, Canadian pianist Marc Durand, and Italian-American pianist Robert Durso. Harvey Wedeen was the husband of American violinist and string teacher

Helen Kwalwasser Helen Kwalwasser (October 11, 1927 – May 22, 2017) was a professor of violin at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University. In addition to spending nearly 50 years as a faculty member at the Boyer College, she had performed as a ...

. In 2011, they together received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, one of the oldest musical societies in the U.S. One of their two daughters,

Lisa Wedeen Lisa Wedeen is Professor of Political Science and the College and Co-Director of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory at the University of Chicago. In 1995, Wedeen received her Ph.D. in political science at the University of California, ...

, is the Mary R. Morton Professor of Political Science and the College and co-director of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Theory at

The University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the be ...

.Lisa Wedeen , Political Science , The University of Chicago
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wedeen, Harvey 1927 births 2015 deaths Temple University faculty Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Juilliard School alumni Classical pianists American classical pianists 20th-century classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists