Thomas Mastroianni | Concert pianist, 80

Thomas Mastroianni, 80, an acclaimed concert pianist and former Catholic University dean of music, who taught piano studies at Catholic University from 1972 until his retirement in 2000, died of a heart attack Sept. 19 at his home in Silver Spring, Md., said his wife, Mary Ann Mastroianni.

Mr. Mastroianni was dean of the university's music school from 1972 to 1981 and chairman of the piano faculty from 1981 until his retirement. Besides classical piano courses, he taught one of the university's first Latin American music classes and a music-wellness seminar, which explored memory, technique, and performance anxiety.

He was an expert on the music and writings of 19th-century Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.

Mr. Mastroianni was born Sept. 1, 1934, in Pittsburgh. He received a bachelor's degree in 1957 and a master's degree in 1958, both from the Juilliard School in New York, and a doctorate in music from Indiana University in 1969.

Early in his career, he was a piano professor and chairman of applied music at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. - Washington Post