Evelyne Tiersky Pini

Evelyne Tiersky Pini

Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, France - Evelyne Tiersky Pini, passed on November 14, 2025, at her home in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, France.

A longtime resident of Amherst and later Leverett, Evelyne was a leader in the Pioneer Valley cultural community, founding the Music-at-Amherst series at Amherst College, where she served as Concert Manager from 1978-80 and 1983-96. Many in the community fondly recalled hearing her voice weekly during her 15 year stint as producer and co-host of WFCR's radio show in french, Tout-en-Francais (1973-1988). Community users of the College's tennis courts will doubtless recall seeing her there with great frequency, consistently excelling in competition through her unyielding effort.

Born in 1945 in France, Evelyne lived a fully transatlantic life, full of friends, professional achievement, travel, the arts, and devotion to her children and grandchildren. In addition to the Pioneer Valley, she lived at different times in New York city; Boston (Cambridge and Charlestown); Paris, Saint Rémy de Provence, and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon in France; and Bologna, Italy.

Always in constant motion, Evelyne's later years saw her, among many other pursuits, devoting her energies to participating in and supporting the arts through the Jazz at St. Remy festival and singing in the Totou'Arts choir. She loved hiking regularly with her La Draille club, also undertaking extraordinary adventures such as her solo tour of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. She also took great pride in her work tutoring young migrants through the Rosmerta organization.

Evelyne and her first husband (and Amherst College professor) Ronald Tiersky had two children; Vanessa, who resides in Marseille, France; and Alex, in Washington, DC. Evelyne's second marriage was to the late Richard Pini, her erstwhile radio co-host, with whom she lived in Provence. In addition to her children and grandchildren, Evelyne is survived by her sister Chantal.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Rosmerta (https://rosmerta-avignon.fr/) or a non-profit focused on the arts.