Joseph Murray Banowetz was an American pianist, educator, and author born on December 5, 1936, in New York City. He studied with Carl Friedberg in New York and György Sándor in Vienna and Dallas. Banowetz received the first prize in piano performance from the Vienna Academy and toured Europe under the auspices of the Austrian government. He performed as a soloist with ensembles including the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Moscow State Symphony, and the Central Philharmonic of Beijing. Banowetz was an expert on the music of Anton Rubinstein and served as a professor at the University of North Texas College of Music. He authored the book The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling, which was published in five languages. His discography included recordings for labels such as Naxos and Toccata Classics. He received Grammy nominations for the albums 30 chansons du peuple russe (2007) and Kletzki: Piano Concerto in D Minor, Op. 22 (2010). Banowetz died on July 3, 2022.
