Max Olding and Pamela Page
Encyclopedia
Max Olding and Pamela Page are a distinguished Australia
n husband and wife team of duo-pianists. They have performed separately in recitals and as concerto soloists, chamber music performers and accompanists both nationally and internationally, but are best known as a piano duo.
They met when they tied for first place in the inaugural Royal Concert Trust Fund Competition in London
in 1954. They married in Vienna
.
They performed as a duo for the opening of ABC Television
in 1956. They have given many recitals in Australia, the United Kingdom
, the United States
, Austria
, Vietnam
, Thailand
, Malaysia, Indonesia
, Hong Kong
, and New Zealand
. In Australia they have appeared with all major and many regional orchestras.
Their repertoire is extensive and includes original two-piano works and concertos as well as arrangements and transcriptions. Larry Sitsky
composed his Concerto for Two Pianos for this duo while he was lecturing at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Many other works have been dedicated to them by composers including Felix Werder
, Peter Sculthorpe
, Philip Bračanin
, John Carmichael
and Margaret Sutherland
.
was born on 4 July 1929. His career has embraced conducting symphonic, choral, operatic and theatre works as well as teaching, administration and as organist and choirmaster. In 1950, at age 21, he was appointed an Australian Music Examinations Board
(AMEB) Examiner. He won the Commonwealth final of the 1952 ABC’s Concerto Competition.
He began his tertiary teaching career at the University of Melbourne
Conservatorium. He was an adjudicator at the 1952 City of Sydney Eisteddfod
and has since adjudicated at most of Australia’s major music competitions, has chaired many of them and has acted as external examiner for higher degrees at the Universities of Melbourne, Western Australia
, Tasmania
, Queensland
, Southern Queensland
and Queensland University of Technology
(QUT).
He has held senior teaching and administrative positions in the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer in Piano); QUT (Acting Head and Senior Lecturer); and City University of New York
(Visiting Professor).
He is a Patron of the Music Teachers Association of Queensland, the Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and is a Fellow of the Queensland Conservatorium. He has given many master class
es and seminars nationally and internationally.
He is Deputy Chair and Principal Examiner (Instrumental) for the AMEB in Queensland. In recent years he has also worked extensively in Southeast Asia
and New Zealand for the Board in examining and promotional activities.
Max Olding has held positions as President of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Society and Deputy Chair of the Brisbane Institute of Art. He is Patron of the Queensland Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and is a Life Member of the Queensland Accompanists Guild.
He is a Churchill Fellow
.
, London, where she was awarded the Maude Seton Prize for the most outstanding student. She later performed on BBC
radio and television and gave solo and concerto performances in London and the English counties. She was subsequently accepted into Walter Gieseking
’s master class
in Saarbrücken
.
Back in Australia, she provided the close-up scenes of the pianist's hands in Wherever She Goes
, a 1951 biographical film about Eileen Joyce
(whose character was otherwise played by Suzanne Parrett). She gave many concerto performances in all capital cities, recitals on ABC radio, live TV appearances and also hosted a TV children's show. Later she was appointed as Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Music, University of Queensland
. She is also a painter.
Max Olding and Pamela Page have one son, the violin
ist Dene Olding
.
(AM) in recognition of his service to music and to music education.
The AMEB in Queensland have named their auditorium the Max Olding Auditorium.
Both Pamela Page and Max Olding were awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001.
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 husband and wife team of duo-pianists. They have performed separately in recitals and as concerto soloists, chamber music performers and accompanists both nationally and internationally, but are best known as a piano duo.
They met when they tied for first place in the inaugural Royal Concert Trust Fund Competition in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1954. They married in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
They performed as a duo for the opening of ABC Television
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
in 1956. They have given many recitals in Australia, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In Australia they have appeared with all major and many regional orchestras.
Their repertoire is extensive and includes original two-piano works and concertos as well as arrangements and transcriptions. Larry Sitsky
Larry Sitsky
Lazar Sitsky AM, usually referred to as Larry Sitsky, born 10 September 1934, is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator and scholar...
composed his Concerto for Two Pianos for this duo while he was lecturing at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Many other works have been dedicated to them by composers including Felix Werder
Felix Werder
Felix Werder is an Australian-based German composer of classical and electronic music; also a noted critic and educator. The son of a distinguished liturgical composer, he has composed all his life; he has an international reputation and is one of Australia's most performed composers...
, 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...
, Philip Bračanin
Philip Bračanin
Philip Bračanin is an Australian composer and musicologist. He graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1962 with bachelors degrees in mathematics and music. He pursued graduate studies at the same school in musicology and composition, earning an MA in 1968 and a PhD in 1970...
, John Carmichael
John Carmichael (composer)
John Carmichael OAM is an Australian pianist, composer and music therapist who has long been resident in the United Kingdom. One of his best known works is the Concierto folklorico for piano and string orchestra. His works for piano form much of his musical output, although he composes for many...
and Margaret Sutherland
Margaret Sutherland
Margaret Sutherland was an Australian composer, probably the best-known female composer her country has produced....
.
Max Olding
Maxwell Charles Olding AMOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
was born on 4 July 1929. His career has embraced conducting symphonic, choral, operatic and theatre works as well as teaching, administration and as organist and choirmaster. In 1950, at age 21, he was appointed an Australian Music Examinations Board
Australian Music Examinations Board
The Australian Music Examinations Board is a privately funded corporation which assesses music, speech, and drama in Australia. The organisation had its beginnings at the Universities of Melbourne and Adelaide in 1887; the organisation now has a Federal Office in Melbourne, and offices in each...
(AMEB) Examiner. He won the Commonwealth final of the 1952 ABC’s Concerto Competition.
He began his tertiary teaching career at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
Conservatorium. He was an adjudicator at the 1952 City of Sydney Eisteddfod
Sydney Eisteddfod
The Sydney Eisteddfod is an independent community based non-profit organisation limited by guarantee a registered charity in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and listed on the federal Register of Cultural Organisations eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. Directors and advisors are...
and has since adjudicated at most of Australia’s major music competitions, has chaired many of them and has acted as external examiner for higher degrees at the Universities of Melbourne, Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
, Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
, Southern Queensland
University of Southern Queensland
The University of Southern Queensland is based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The institution was established in 1967 as the Queensland Institute of Technology...
and Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
(QUT).
He has held senior teaching and administrative positions in the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer in Piano); QUT (Acting Head and Senior Lecturer); and City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
(Visiting Professor).
He is a Patron of the Music Teachers Association of Queensland, the Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and is a Fellow of the Queensland Conservatorium. He has given many master class
Master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....
es and seminars nationally and internationally.
He is Deputy Chair and Principal Examiner (Instrumental) for the AMEB in Queensland. In recent years he has also worked extensively in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and New Zealand for the Board in examining and promotional activities.
Max Olding has held positions as President of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland.The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code. John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney...
Society and Deputy Chair of the Brisbane Institute of Art. He is Patron of the Queensland Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and is a Life Member of the Queensland Accompanists Guild.
He is a Churchill Fellow
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based...
.
Pamela Page
Pamela Harcourt Page was born on 4 April 1934. She won an Empire Overseas Scholarship to study at Trinity College of MusicTrinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
, London, where she was awarded the Maude Seton Prize for the most outstanding student. She later performed on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio and television and gave solo and concerto performances in London and the English counties. She was subsequently accepted into Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
’s master class
Master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....
in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
.
Back in Australia, she provided the close-up scenes of the pianist's hands in Wherever She Goes
Wherever She Goes
Wherever She Goes is a 1951 Australian feature film that tells the early part of the life story of pianist Eileen Joyce.-Synopsis:Eileen Joyce is born on the Tasmanian coast and becomes fascinated with music after hearing a man named Daniel play a mouth organ...
, a 1951 biographical film about Eileen Joyce
Eileen Joyce
Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years....
(whose character was otherwise played by Suzanne Parrett). She gave many concerto performances in all capital cities, recitals on ABC radio, live TV appearances and also hosted a TV children's show. Later she was appointed as Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Music, University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
. She is also a painter.
Max Olding and Pamela Page have one son, the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Dene Olding
Dene Olding
Dene Olding is an Australian violinist. He has had a distinguished career as a soloist in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, performing over forty concertos in recent years, including many world premieres...
.
Honours and awards
In January 1991, Max Olding was appointed a Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM) in recognition of his service to music and to music education.
The AMEB in Queensland have named their auditorium the Max Olding Auditorium.
Both Pamela Page and Max Olding were awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001.