Scott Faigen
FAIGEN: Scott Faigen, pianist, 69, of Mannheim, Germany, passed away on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. Beloved son of Irving (deceased) and Fern Faigen; devoted father of Judà and Jasiel; cherished brother of Joan Faigen (Steven Svensson) and Tina Faigen (Robert Schultz); loving uncle of Michael and Liana; dear friend of Ulrike-Anima Mathé. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation, PO Box 1092, West Seneca, NY 14224.
Scott Faigen, whose concert career spanned performances in prominent halls across 40 countries, joined the faculty of the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts in 1989. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a 1973 graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, Scott studied piano with Ralph Zitterbart and earned his music degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Illinois. Both as a soloist and chamber musician, Scott served on the faculties of the National Academy of Music, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Stuttgart Music Conservatory. For six years, Scott was a répétiteur at the Juilliard School, where he worked with the classes of Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Leonard Rose. He also served as a class accompanist for Itzhak Perlman at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and has accompanied master classes with Juan Diego Flórez, Kathleen Battle and Maureen Forrester as well as with Leonard Rose, Gidon Kremer, Josef Gingold, Dorothy DeLay and Ivan Galamian. Before settling in Germany and joining the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts, Scott spent six months in 1983 in mainland China as a guest of the Chinese government, accompanying violinist Berl Senofsky and teaching at the Shanghai Conservatory. Scott was an official pianist at many international competitions, such as the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, Fritz Kreisler Competition, Louis Spohr Violin Competition, Henri Marteau Violin Competition, Tibor Varga International Violin Competition and Queen Elisabeth Competition. Scott also appeared at numerous festivals, including the Ludwigsburg Palace Festival, Schwetzinger SWR Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Bedford Springs Festival and performed with celebrated artists such as Wanda Wiłkomirska, Norbert Brainin, Arnold Steinhardt, Ulrike-Anima Mathé, Michael Flaksman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Peter Zazofsky and Antonio Meneses. In recent years, Scott was passionately involved in several benefit concerts, which is a reflection of his profound, humanistic character. Admired for his artistry and worldly spirit, Scott leaves behind a legacy beyond music. PJC
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