Valerie Tryon

Valerie Tryon (born 5 September 1934) is a British-born pianist, now residing in Canada. Her international concert tours have been reviewed by the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Daily Telegraph (London), BBC Music Magazine, The Times (London), and the Globe and Mail (Toronto).

She is noted for her performances of the works of Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff.

Early life

Born in Portsmouth, England, Valerie Tryon toured with the Northern Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at age 9, and at age 11 made the first of many BBC broadcasts. In 1948 she completed the ARCM and LRAM diplomas. From 1950-1955 she studied with Eric Grant at the Royal Academy of Music, and, on bursary, studied in Paris with Jacques Février (1955-6).

Since 1959, Valerie Tryon has performed piano concertos with the Hallé Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and other major orchestras.

As a soloist, Valerie Tryon has performed in Great Britain, Europe, South Africa, Canada, and the USA.

Career in Canada

In 1971, Valerie Tryon relocated to Canada, and has since performed in Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Washington, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Los Angeles. She became Artist-in-Residence at McMaster University, Canada, in 1976. In 1984, she took a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music, FRAM, and in 1986 the Hungarian Minister of Culture awarded her the Ferenc Liszt Medal of Honour for "outstanding achievement" in the interpretation of Liszt's music. In 1991 Valerie Tryon was granted an Honorary Licentiate Diploma (LWCM) from the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music (now Conservatory Canada).

Her "Debussy Songs", performed with soprano Claudette LeBlanc won a Juno Award for "best classical album" in 1994. In the same category, her album, "The Joy of Piano" brought a second Juno nomination the following year. An honorary D. LITT was granted to Valerie Tryon in 2000, by McMaster University.

Repertoire

Although known primarily for her work in the solo Romantic repertoire, Valerie Tryon's repertoire ranges from Bach to the present. She has been active in promoting such Canadian composers as Srul Irving Glick, Murray Adaskin, Milton Barnes and Claude Champagne. Her repertoire includes more than 60 piano concertos, and a wide range of chamber music. Together with Gerard Kantarjian, she co-founded the Rembrandt Trio, and frequently appears with Camerata and Trio Canada.

Partial List of Recordings

*"Joy of Piano". Champagne, Glick, Morel, Bach, Liszt, Mendelssohn. 1993. CBC Records MVCD 1065
*Liszt "Piano Music Vol. 11". 1998. Naxos 8.553508
*Liszt "Piano Music Vol. 14". 1998. Naxos 8.553507
*Liszt "Piano Music Vol. 17". 1998. Naxos 8.554729
*"A Liszt Recital". 1980. Educo 3086
*Liszt - Chopin et al. (1980) Educo 3148
*Rachmaninoff - Alun Hoddinott - Banks. Isaac violoncello. (1971). Argo ZRG-695
*"Ravel: Piano Music, Vol. 1". 2001. Appian APR 5593
*"Ravel: Piano Music, Vol. 2". 2005. Appian APR 5594
*"Scarlatti Keyboard Sonatas". 2000. Appian APR 5591
*Chopin "Scherzos and Ballades". 1996. CBC Records MVCD 1092
*"These You Have Loved: Romantic Piano Music". Chopin - Schumann - et al. (1975) BBC REC-112/BBC MRMC-015 (cass)
*"Valerie Tryon Piano: In Public Concert".: Chopin - Mozart - Liszt. 1978. CBC Musica Viva MV-1--1
*"Valerie Tryon Plays Mendelssohn." 2005. Appian APR 5595
*"Valerie Tryon Plays Rachmaninov." (1971). BBC REB-27/BBC RMC-4035 (cass)
*Busoni "Visionary." 1999. CBC Records MVCD 1126

References

* Barclay McMillan, Betty Nygaard King. "The Canadian Encyclopedia", copyright 2007 Historica Foundation of Canada
* Jacques Lesier. "Artists' Management", The Del Prado, San Diego, CA
* Howard Greenwood. "Concert Management", London, UK

External links

* [http://www.artset.net/Valerie_Tryon/ValerieTryon_critics.html] Reviews
* [http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003489] Encyclopedia of Music in Canada