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Rachel Valler

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Rachel Valler
Rachel Valler c1954
Rachel Valler c1954
Background information
Also known asRachel Travers
Bornc1930
Sydney, Australia
Occupationmusician
Instrumentpiano
Formerly ofHazelwood 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

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  1. ^ a b "ABC Weekly Vol. 13 No. 31 (4 August 1951)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  2. ^ a b "WITH TRIO Sydney pianist's SE Asian season". Australian Jewish Times. 1985-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  3. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ Sitsky, Larry. "Alexander Hmelnitsky (1891–1965)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ "-World of Entertainments- RACHEL VALLElt WITH ORCHESTRA". Australian Jewish Herald. 1951-08-03. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  9. ^ "ABC Weekly - Vol. 13 No. 41 (13 October 1951)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  10. ^ "Women's News and Gossip". Sun. 1954-07-16. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  11. ^ "Social and Personal". Australian Jewish Herald. 1954-07-16. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  12. ^ "BONDI PIANIST WINNER OF CONCERTO CONTEST". Daily Telegraph. 1954-07-18. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  13. ^ "Winners In A.B.C. Competitions". Sydney Morning Herald. 1954-08-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  14. ^ "Vol. 55 No. 11 (November 1984)". Trove. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  15. ^ "Pianist's distinction". Australian Jewish News. 1981-08-28. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  16. ^ "Rachel Valler – AMEB New South Wales". AMEB New South Wales. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 Feb 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  17. ^ "THE HONOURS LIST". Canberra Times. 1995-01-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  18. ^ "Playing or teaching?". Australian Jewish News. 1983-05-06. Retrieved 2023-06-27.