Peggy Smith Skarry

Peggy Smith Skarry, 85, Chicago, IL, award-winning classical pianist, soprano and teacher, passed away March 24, 2019. Peggy was born in Muskegon, MI. Her musical talent was discovered very young, both by her parents and by a talented neighborhood teacher that had Peggy demanding more lessons. Peggy got her first taste of performing at the age of 3 when she won second prize playing “Largo” by Dvorak at a local talent show. By thirteen, she had a guest performance with The Grand Rapids Symphony.

As a teen, she came to Chicago to major in piano at The American Conservatory of Music with voice as a minor. She won the prestigious Young Artists Competition twice, once in piano, once with voice, winning debut recitals for each discipline with excellent notices in all Chicago newspapers. Later she placed second in the Metropolitan Opera Regional Competition, which opened the door for performance opportunities on stage, television and radio.

She met her husband, Michael Skarry at the vocal studio where they both studied. They performed together, and they were also professional members in the Chicago Symphony Chorus and The Rockefeller Chapel Choir. They also performed at Tanglewood (the Berkshire Festival).

She and her husband remained working musicians in Chicago throughout their careers, and taught music. Peggy had a talent at finding the best in her students’ voices, and had a large following of both professional and talented non-professional students. She had something of a second renaissance in her later years, trying her hand at writing books, and wrote five of them after turning 80. For her 80th birthday, Peggy held a house piano concert of over 50 minutes of memorized classical repertoire by Chopin, Schuman, Beethoven, Mozart and others to the delight and awe of her audience.

Peggy’s husband, Mike pre-deceased her, and they had no children. However, Peggy had a multitude of students and friends of long standing who loved her not only as a musician and teacher, but as a friend with a great and gentle heart and a keen intellect.

Peggy will be buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago IL at 2pm, March 29, 2019, followed by a Celebration of Life gathering at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL from 3pm-7pm. In lieu of flowers, please send memories to be posted at the Celebration of Life, and on her legacy page to [email protected]