Kathryn Selby
Encyclopedia
Kathryn Selby is an Australia
n classical
pianist
. She is often known as Kathy Selby.
She grew up in Sydney
. She entered the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
at the age of seven. She followed this with study with Béla Síki
at the University of Washington
in Seattle. In 1976 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. In 1978 she won an American Music Scholarship, which led to her making her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra
. In 1981 she received the Australia Council's International Fellowship for Studies in the United States. She performed at the United Nations General Assembly
in an Australian Government sponsored concert in aid of UNICEF, in association with Dame Joan Sutherland
and Richard Bonynge
. She studied at the Curtis Institute of Music
under Mieczysław Horszowski, and won the prestigious Rachmaninoff
Prize and the Institute's Gold Medal. In 1983 she graduated from Bryn Mawr College
, where she studied with Claude Frank
. She did her Masters in Music at the Juilliard School
, where her teacher was Rudolf Firkušný
, and she won the Juilliard Mozart
Competition.
Selby has won prizes at the Van Cliburn
Competition, the William Kapell
Competition, the Bruce Hungerford
Memorial award and the Young Concert Artists Competition in New York, and the Ferruccio Busoni
Competition, which gave her a debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall
. She spent the summer of 1982 at the Marlboro Music Festival
, at the invitation of Rudolf Serkin
.
She returned to Australia in 1988 on her appointment as the first Musician-in-Residence at Macquarie University
. She held this position until 2003. She was a founding member of the Macquarie Trio, and from 1993 to 2006 also its manager. The trio came to an abrupt end after its university funding was cut, which in turn followed disagreements between the members. She later founded TriOz, and she now presents subscription seasons of chamber music under the banner of "Selby & Friends".
For Andrew Olle
's memorial service in the Sydney Town Hall
on 22 December 1995, Peter Sculthorpe
wrote a special arrangement for cello and piano of his 1947 work Parting, which was played by Nathan Waks and Kathryn Selby.
Kathryn Selby has performed with many orchestras in the United States, Australia and other countries. These include the Philadelphia Orchestra
(she was a founding member of its Chamber Group), Boston Pops Orchestra
, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
, San Francisco Symphony
, Australian Chamber Orchestra
, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
, The Queensland Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra
, and West Australian Symphony Orchestra
. She has performed at the Athens, Spoleto, Caramoor, Aspen, Marlboro, Sydney Mozart and Sydney Festivals. She has made many recordings.
She is married to Simon Della Marta, a partner in a law firm. They have children.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. She is often known as Kathy Selby.
She grew up in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. She entered the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
at the age of seven. She followed this with study with Béla Síki
Béla Síki
Béla Síki is a Hungarian pianist.He was born in Hungary, where he was a student in Budapest of Leo Weiner and Ernest von Dohnányi at the Franz Liszt Music Academy. He moved to Switzerland in 1945, where he studied with Dinu Lipatti and won, the 1948 Geneva Competition...
at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle. In 1976 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. In 1978 she won an American Music Scholarship, which led to her making her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
. In 1981 she received the Australia Council's International Fellowship for Studies in the United States. She performed at the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
in an Australian Government sponsored concert in aid of UNICEF, in association with Dame Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
and Richard Bonynge
Richard Bonynge
Richard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...
. She studied at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
under Mieczysław Horszowski, and won the prestigious Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
Prize and the Institute's Gold Medal. In 1983 she graduated from Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, where she studied with Claude Frank
Claude Frank
Claude Frank is a German-born, American Jewish pianist whose career has included appearances with highly reputed orchestras, at major festivals, and in major recital halls around the world...
. She did her Masters in Music at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, where her teacher was Rudolf Firkušný
Rudolf Firkusny
- Life :Born in Moravian Napajedla, Firkušný started his musical studies with the composers Leoš Janáček and Josef Suk, and the pianist Vilém Kurz. Later he studied with Alfred Cortot and Artur Schnabel. He began performing on the continent of Europe in the 1920s, and made his debuts in London in...
, and she won the Juilliard Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
Competition.
Selby has won prizes at the Van Cliburn
Van Cliburn
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. is an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at age 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War....
Competition, the William Kapell
William Kapell
William Kapell was an outstanding American pianist who was killed in the crash of a commercial airliner.-Biography:...
Competition, the Bruce Hungerford
Bruce Hungerford
Bruce Hungerford was an Australian pianist.Born in Korumburra, Victoria, Bruce Hungerford was originally named Leonard Hungerford...
Memorial award and the Young Concert Artists Competition in New York, and the Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
Competition, which gave her a debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. She spent the summer of 1982 at the Marlboro Music Festival
Marlboro Music School and Festival
The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont...
, at the invitation of Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
.
She returned to Australia in 1988 on her appointment as the first Musician-in-Residence at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
. She held this position until 2003. She was a founding member of the Macquarie Trio, and from 1993 to 2006 also its manager. The trio came to an abrupt end after its university funding was cut, which in turn followed disagreements between the members. She later founded TriOz, and she now presents subscription seasons of chamber music under the banner of "Selby & Friends".
For Andrew Olle
Andrew Olle
John Andrew Durrant Olle , always known as Andrew Olle, was a radio and television presenter on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, beginning his career in 1967 as a news cadet and, until his death, working in a wide variety of programs, including The 7.30 Report, ABC Radio 2BL, Sydney,...
's memorial service in the Sydney Town Hall
Sydney Town Hall
The Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone building located in the heart of Sydney. It stands opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral...
on 22 December 1995, Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE is an Australian composer. Much of his music has resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West...
wrote a special arrangement for cello and piano of his 1947 work Parting, which was played by Nathan Waks and Kathryn Selby.
Kathryn Selby has performed with many orchestras in the United States, Australia and other countries. These include the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
(she was a founding member of its Chamber Group), Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
As the fifth oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall, recordings, and international tours...
, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana.Annually, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs 200 concerts for over 350,000 people. It is the largest performing arts organization in Indiana. The ISO is currently one of only 18 American...
, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
, San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, Australian Chamber Orchestra
Australian Chamber Orchestra
The Australian Chamber Orchestra was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appointed Artistic Director....
, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...
, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
, The Queensland Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra
Canberra Symphony Orchestra
Canberra Symphony Orchestra is the principal professional orchestra of the Australian Capital Territory based in Canberra, the national capital of Australia....
, and West Australian Symphony Orchestra
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
. She has performed at the Athens, Spoleto, Caramoor, Aspen, Marlboro, Sydney Mozart and Sydney Festivals. She has made many recordings.
She is married to Simon Della Marta, a partner in a law firm. They have children.