Brooks Smith; USC Professor, Pianist, Noted Accompanist

Pianist Brooks Smith, Jascha Heifetz’s longtime accompanist and a professor at USC from 1972 until 1988, has died.

Smith, a longtime resident of Hacienda Heights, died Oct. 31 in a hospital in Covina. He was 88.

A native of Texas, Smith began studying the piano at age 4 and earned a full scholarship to the Juilliard School after graduating from high school. He began his career as an accompanist when he was a student in New York City, where he played first for singers such as mezzo-soprano Rise Stevens, and baritones Julius Huehn and Mack Harrell. In addition to Heifetz, he later played for violinists Zino Francescatti, Nathan Milstein, Itzhak Perlman and Ruggiero Ricci, as well as cellists Gregor Piatigorsky and Lynn Harrell.

After military service during World War II, Smith was invited to join the faculty of the newly established Aspen Music Festival. In 1966, he opened the department of accompanying at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., leaving to join the faculty of USC’s music school, where he taught for 16 years, retiring at age 75.

“Brooks Smith was not only an artist of unmistakable beauty and sensitivity, he was a gentle and modest human being who elevated the school by his sheer presence in our hallways,” said Larry Livingston, dean of the USC Thornton School of Music.

Smith’s 20-year relationship with the legendary Heifetz included tours that took them through the United States, Canada, Europe and South America. He also performed with the violinist on a series of recordings and in a television appearance. Smith accompanied Heifetz in his final concert, a recital in October 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

In reviews with a variety of recitalists and chamber ensembles over his years in Los Angeles, Smith’s contributions were generally met with glowing notices that emphasized his polished playing and indispensability to the artists in the spotlight.

Jean Barr, a former colleague at USC and now a professor of piano accompanying and chamber music at the Eastman School, called him a “superlative collaborative partner. . . . His death represents the passing of an era.” In 1996, the Eastman School established a fellowship in accompanying in his honor.

Smith is survived by a sister, nephews and a niece in Texas. He was buried in his hometown of McAllen, Texas, on Nov. 4.