Obituary of Louise Kemp Taylor

Venerated pianist and teacher, Louise Taylor, dies at 96 Louise Taylor, pianist, teacher and ardent lover of a live well-lived died on Maundy Thursday evening at the age of 96. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, she spent several cherished years in Cambridge before making her life-long home in Philadelphia. Trained as a concert pianist at Carnegie-Mellon Institute of Technology where she received her BFA in Music, Louise performed and taught thereafter with a love of music and passion for transforming the lives of others with it that knew no bounds. Marrying avant-garde composer, Clifford Taylor, after he returned from service in WWII, Louise embraced the revolutionary aesthetic of the post-war era, but remaining grounded in the classic adherence to persistence, discipline and intellectual rigor. With the heart and soul she gave to her career, Louise raised three bright and feisty sons, Christopher, Jonathan and Andy, along with grandchildren, Calvin, Lily, Rickey, Colton, Maddison, Amie, Tara and Delaney, nurturing them with all with the love of a devoted mother. At the same time, she continued building her teaching career, taking positions at Temple University, Ambler Campus, Settlement School of Music in Germantown, Jenkintown Music School and working in a private capacity with select students. Family highlights include spirited dinner conversations, celebration of life events great and small, and memorable vacations to Montauk, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Block Island, Scotland and the epitome of Victorian charm they all loved, Cape May, New Jersey. Louise's incisive views, infectious sense of humor and spirited engagement with the world at large were the priceless gifts she brought to all who knew and loved her. Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. A reception will follow the service. Committal service will be held at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, Hillside Cemetery, 2556 Susquehanna Road, Roslyn, PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Settlement Music School. P.O. Box 63966, Philadelphia, PA 19147. (settlementmusic.org/give)