Rachel Valler

Rachel Valler OAM (b. c1930[1] Sydney, Australia) is an Australian pianist. She was a member of the Hazelwood Trio.

Rachel Valler
Rachel Valler c1954
Rachel Valler c1954
Background information
Also known asRachel Travers
Bornc1930
Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)musician
Instrument(s)piano
Formerly ofHazelwood Trio

Career

Rachel Valler's parents, Sonia and Joseph Vallerstein, arrived in Australia from Russia in 1927. Valler was their only daughter,[2] born in Sydney.[3]

She studied piano from an early age,[4] performed with the Zionist Youth League during her teens as a solo pianist,[5] and was mentored by Ignaz Friedman until his death in 1948.[6]

As a soloist, she performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and music clubs in 1951 aged 21.[1][7][8] That same year she received her Bachelor of Arts at Sydney University,[9][10] and went onto gain a Diploma of Education from Melbourne University.[2]

She taught music and worked in the library at Ascham Girls School,[3] and won the State final of the ABC Concerto Competition in 1954.[11] Although she did not win the Commonwealth finals, she was commended for her "thoughtful, searching, sensitive playing" of Chopin.[12]

She travelled to London in the early 1950s,[3] and taught piano while studying with the Hungarian pianist Ilona Kabos.[3] While there, she was awarded the Commonwealth Medal in the Harriet Cohen International Competition for 1956.[3]

During the 1980s she was considered one of Australia's most distinguished classical musicians, alongside Donald Hazelwood and Anne Menzies. Together they performed as the Hazelwood Trio.[13]

She was also head teacher of English and Humanities, at Randwick Technical College.[14][15]

In 1995 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to music.[16]

She is married to Walter Travers.[17]

References

  1. "ABC Weekly Vol. 13 No. 31 (4 August 1951)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  2. "WITH TRIO Sydney pianist's SE Asian season". Australian Jewish Times. 1985-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  3. "ABC Weekly Vol. 18 No. 17 (28 April 1956)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  4. "CALENDAR FOR THE MONTH TEBETH". Hebrew Standard of Australasia. 1936-12-31. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  5. "YOUTH LEAGUE CONCERT". Sydney Jewish News. 1946-08-02. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  6. Evans, Allan (2009-06-29). Ignaz Friedman: Romantic Master Pianist. Indiana University Press. pp. 211–212. ISBN 978-0-253-00338-6.
  7. "-World of Entertainments- RACHEL VALLElt WITH ORCHESTRA". Australian Jewish Herald. 1951-08-03. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  8. "ABC Weekly - Vol. 13 No. 41 (13 October 1951)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  9. "Women's News and Gossip". Sun. 1954-07-16. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  10. "Social and Personal". Australian Jewish Herald. 1954-07-16. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  11. "BONDI PIANIST WINNER OF CONCERTO CONTEST". Daily Telegraph. 1954-07-18. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  12. "Winners In A.B.C. Competitions". Sydney Morning Herald. 1954-08-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  13. "Vol. 55 No. 11 (November 1984)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  14. "Pianist's distinction". Australian Jewish News. 1981-08-28. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  15. "Rachel Valler – AMEB New South Wales". AMEB New South Wales. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 Feb 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  16. "THE HONOURS LIST". Canberra Times. 1995-01-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  17. "Playing or teaching?". Australian Jewish News. 1983-05-06. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.