Cellist Gayle Mae Smith has Died, Aged 80

Among Smith’s mentors included Pablo Casals, William Pleeth, and Gregor Piatigorsky

Born in 1943, cellist Gayle Smith began cello lessons at a young age; by the age of 14, she was in Puerto Rico taking private lessons with the famed cellist Pablo Casals. 

She soon made her solo debut at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, with additional debut performances in London, Vienna, Moscow, and the Los Angeles Music Center. 

Additionally, she studied with Gregor Piatigorsky at the USC Institute for Special Music Studies, and from 1966 to 1968, attended London’s Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where she pursued graduate studies with Peter Grummer as a recipient of a U.S. government Fulbright grant. 

She also studied with William Pleeth at the Guildhall School of Music and was a graduate of The University of California, Berkeley.

As an educator, she taught at the University of California, Irvine, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley College, and Glendale Community College. 

Internationally, she taught at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, The Inner London Saturday Music School, and at New Zealand’s University of Canterbury, where she also performed chamber music with violinist Jan Tawroszewicz and pianist Maurice Till in the 1980s. 

In 2020, Smith began suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s and moved to an assisted living facility in Northern California, where she continued to perform cello for fellow residents.

“Her music touched many lives, and she will be remembered for her contributions to the world of music and the warmth she brought to those who knew her,” wrote Benning Violins in a tribute. 

Ms. Smith is survived by three nieces, three nephews, and many cousins. Our condolences to her family, friends, students, and colleagues.