Eugene Feher was Well Known Pianist, Organist, Composer and SNC:AGO Charter Member

PHOTO CREDIT: Las Vegas Sun

Eugene Feher came to Las Vegas in 1962 for a quick gig at the Sultan’s Table at The Dunes, but the unmatched beauty and potential of Southern Nevada helped him decide to make Las Vegas his home.

Feher was born into an esteemed musical family in Brooklyn, NY and quickly showed his prodigylike abilities on the piano, winning interborough competitions by the age of nine. He was skilled at piano, organ, violin and even conducted. Feher graduated valedictorian of his high school and earned a fellowship and degree from Julliard.

His postgraduate work at USC was interrupted by wartime service in the Army Air Corp. He served as a music arranger for a variety of military radio programs which put him in contact with a variety of Hollywood writers, stars and musicians.

After the war, Feher completed his masters in musicology at USC and then went to concertizing and working for the movie studios. Feher played extensive amounts of background piano (and some harpsichord) music in films and on scores and sound tracks. He even had a run as an

assistant director for Columbia Pictures. Feher was the pianist for a long list of Hollywood celebrities (James Darren, Shelley Winters, Ricardo Montelban, Burl Ives) and in a June 1969 feature story in the Las Vegas Sun, he reminisced about his time working with Rita Hayworth, Jean Peters (Mrs. Howard H. Hughes) and Marilyn Monroe.

While in Las Vegas, Feher served as the organist and musical director for Temple Beth Sholom. He continued to compose and arrange music, performed with the Las Vegas symphony and was a frequent recitalist and accompanist.

Eugene Feher passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, June 27, 1970. He was just 45 years old.

There are a few surviving recordings of Feher’s playing: some movie scores (like the Big Gamble/ Treasure of the Golden Condor and Dr. Seuss’s The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T) and a few LP recordings in the Library of Congress collection (example: Joachim Chassman, violinist, with Eugene Feher at the piano. LB. no. 416). A number of his compositions (including his U.S. Constitution set to music) survive as well.