JAVS Summer 2025

In Memoriam

Scott Nickrenz (1937–2025)

Scott Nickeren (1937–2025). Photo courtesy of New England Conservatory.

The musical world mourns the passing of Scott Nickrenz, a visionary violist, devoted mentor, and tireless advocate for chamber music, who died on March 17, 2025, at the age of 87. With his extraordinary intuition, generosity, and uncompromising musical ideals, Scott leaves behind a legacy that resonates far beyond the concert stage. Born in Buffalo, New York, Scott’s journey began on piano, then violin, before settling into his life’s voice—the viola—on the recommendation of his mentor, Alexander Schneider. He went on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music on scholarship and was a Tanglewood fellow, working with such luminaries as Aaron Copland, Elliott Carter, Gunther Schuller, and John Cage. His artistry as a violist found expression in ensembles he co-founded, including the Lenox and Vermeer String Quartets and the Orpheus Trio. He was a regular guest at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center from 1972 through 1989, and is remembered fondly for his warmth, humor, and musical depth.

Though a gifted performer, Scott’s greatest and most enduring impact was as a presenter, educator, and nurturer of talent. As director of chamber music at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Spoleto Festivals in Scott Nickrenz and his wife Paula Robison in 1985 outside the Caio Melisso Theatre in Spoleto; courtesy Maria Lambros and WBUR.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, Summer 2025 Online Issue

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