Frank Glazer was born in the town of Chester, Wisconsin on February 19, 1915 to Lithuanian parents. He lived in Chester and then Fond du Lac, Wisconsin before finally settling in Milwaukee where he graduated from high school. Glazer grew up in a musically talented family and got started on the piano with the help of a sister who died when she was 14 years old. Inspired by his high school piano teacher, and assisted financially by two business men, Glazer set off to Berlin in October of 1932 to study the piano under Artur Schnabel. After stopping in Cleveland and New York City he arrived in Berlin. Leonard Shure, a former pupil of Schnabel helped Frank find a place to live. He moved in with the Kuertz's. He began taking lessons with Schnabel and Shure. At the time Germany was in a state of political and financial turmoil. He considered studying composition in Berlin under the supervision of Arnold Schoenberg but was dissuaded by Shure. When the political situation became too dangerous for Schnabel, he decided to move to Lake Como in Italy. At that time Leonard Shure moved to Cambridge, Massachusettes. In 1933, Glazer left Berlin to continue studying with Schnabel on Lake Como. After four months, Schnabel was unsure of where he would be living. After contacting Shure, Glazer decided to move to Cambridge and take lessons from Shure. In Cambridge he also gave piano lessons, took lessons on counterpoint with Schoenberg, took courses at Harvard extension division, and studied Italian. When he was advised by his host mother that he may be doing to much he dropped the courses and the lessons with Schoenberg. In 1935, he traveled back to Lake Como to resume lessons with Schnabel. He once again took lessons there for four months. Frank Glazer has made a career that has revolved around playing the piano. Some of his accomplishments include playing Carnegie Hall, having his own television show, composing, playing with the Boston Symphony and teaching at the Eastman School of Music, the University of Indiana, Bennett College, and a long period as artist-in-residence at Bates College.

Glazer was married to Ruth Gevalt from 1952 until her death in 2006. Glazer died in January, 2015, at the age of 99.