Obituary: Felice Takakjian-Bedrossian, Noted Pianist and Teacher

Takakjian-Bedrossian, Felice, concert pianist and pedagogue with a long and distinguished career, died peacefully on Feb. 11 at age 91. Successful debut performances at Weill Hall in 1949 and Town Hall in 1953 launched her on a concert career that took her through North America, Central America, Europe, and Japan under Columbia Artists. She served as Goodwill Ambassador to Germany in 1953 and to Japan in 1959, with her recitals and lecture programs broadcast over Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberation.

A native of Oceanside, N.Y., and graduate of Oceanside High School in 1944, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from New York University in 1948 and an Artist Diploma from New York College of Music in 1949. She served on the faculty of the New York College of Music from 1950-1960, of Syracuse University from 1960-1963, and of Molloy College from 1971-1980. Felice was a champion of contemporary composers, and her premieres of piano works of the Armenian-American composer Alan Hovhaness earned critical acclaim. She also served as one of the organizers of the Khachaturian Competition in New York, which helped to launch the careers of distinguished, Armenian concert artists.

She married in 1960 and continued teaching privately in her studio in Freeport, Long Island until her relocation to California with her husband, Paul, in 2013. Her specialty was teaching piano pedagogy, and her legacy is felt and continued by her many piano students. She is survived by her husband, Paul, and son, Peter, of Livermore, Calif.