Rachel Valler
Rachel Valler | |
|---|---|
 Rachel Valler c1954 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rachel Travers |
| Born | c1930 Sydney, Australia |
| Occupation | musician |
| Instrument | piano |
| Formerly of | Hazelwood Trio |
Rachel Valler OAM (b. c1930[1] Sydney, Australia) is an Australian pianist. She was a member of the Hazelwood Trio.
Career
[edit]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] She also studied with Alexander Hmelnitsky.[7]
As a soloist, she performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and music clubs in 1951 aged 21.[1][8][9] That same year she received her Bachelor of Arts at Sydney University,[10][11] 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.[12] Although she did not win the Commonwealth finals, she was commended for her "thoughtful, searching, sensitive playing" of Chopin.[13]
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.[14]
She was also head teacher of English and Humanities, at Randwick Technical College.[15][16]
In 1995 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to music.[17]
She is married to Walter Travers.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "ABC Weekly Vol. 13 No. 31 (4 August 1951)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ a b "WITH TRIO Sydney pianist's SE Asian season". Australian Jewish Times. 1985-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^ a b c d e "ABC Weekly Vol. 18 No. 17 (28 April 1956)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "CALENDAR FOR THE MONTH TEBETH". Hebrew Standard of Australasia. 1936-12-31. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "YOUTH LEAGUE CONCERT". Sydney Jewish News. 1946-08-02. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ Evans, Allan (2009-06-29). Ignaz Friedman: Romantic Master Pianist. Indiana University Press. pp. 211–212. ISBN 978-0-253-00338-6.
- ^ Sitsky, Larry. "Alexander Hmelnitsky (1891–1965)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "-World of Entertainments- RACHEL VALLElt WITH ORCHESTRA". Australian Jewish Herald. 1951-08-03. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "ABC Weekly - Vol. 13 No. 41 (13 October 1951)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Women's News and Gossip". Sun. 1954-07-16. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Social and Personal". Australian Jewish Herald. 1954-07-16. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "BONDI PIANIST WINNER OF CONCERTO CONTEST". Daily Telegraph. 1954-07-18. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Winners In A.B.C. Competitions". Sydney Morning Herald. 1954-08-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^ "Vol. 55 No. 11 (November 1984)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Pianist's distinction". Australian Jewish News. 1981-08-28. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Rachel Valler – AMEB New South Wales". AMEB New South Wales. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 Feb 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ "THE HONOURS LIST". Canberra Times. 1995-01-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Playing or teaching?". Australian Jewish News. 1983-05-06. Retrieved 2023-06-27.