Eugene Haynes  Eugene Haynes (1927–2007) was an American classical pianist, composer and music pedagogue. After graduation from Lincoln High School in 1944, where he played piano to classmate Miles Davis' trombone. He studied music at the Juilliard School in New York and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris from 1951 to 1954. He worked as a radio presenter in East St Louis, as Artist in Residence at Lincoln University, and as leader of Centre for Performing Arts at University at Southern Illinois University. He published his memoirs in 2000 which documents his many stays in Denmark during the 1950s and his friendship with writer Karen Blixen (also known as Isak Dinesen). His first and only CD came out in 2004 and his life in Denmark was documented in a temporary exhibition at Museum Amager outside Copenhagen in 2012  Eugene Haynes was born in 1927 in East St Louis, Illinois, USA. He started playing piano at the age of 4. As a teenager he worked in a warehouse and used his lunch breaks to play a piano nearby. His bosses discovered his talent by accident and decided to pay for his musical education. He joined Juilliard School of Music in New York (where also Nina Simone initially trained as a classical pianist) and at the end of his studies he wins the 'Loeb price' for 'overall excellence in graduate studies'. After a brief period of study at Lincoln University in Missouri (a place he would return to) he continued his studies with the music pedagogue Nadia Boulanger in Paris from 1951 to 1954. After his stay in Paris, Haynes continued seeking a breakthrough as pianist. Sponsored by the USA Information Service he went on a concert tour in Europe. During the 1950s he stayed for extensive periods in Denmark nurturing a close friendship with the writer Karen Blixen whom he met in 1952. Haynes was in regular contact with her with her until her death in 1962. In between his stays and concerts in Europe he also performs in the US. He debuted in Carnegie Hall in New York in 1958 and played there again in 1969. However, Haynes spent most of his career teaching and composing. He is Artist in Residence at Lincoln University (where he studied briefly after his longer stay at Juilliard in New York) from 1958 to 1974. He wins another prize in 1974 given by 'National Association of Negro Positions' and at this time also returned to St Louis, his birthplace, to contribute to the education of young music talents in his childhood neighbourhood.