Valerie Tryon is a British-born pianist, now residing in Canada. Her international concert tours have been reviewed by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Daily Telegraph (London), BBC Music Magazine, The Times (London), The Globe and Mail (Toronto). She is noted for her performances of the works of Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff.
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Early life
Born September 5, 1934 in Portsmouth, England, Valerie Tryon toured with the Northern Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at age nine, and at age eleven 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 Fevrier (1955-6). Since 1959, Valerie Tryon has performed Piano Concertos with the Halle, the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and other major orchestras. As a soloist, Ms. Tryon has performed in Great Britain, Europe, South Africa, Canada, and the USA.
Career in Canada
In 1971, Ms. 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, Valerie Tryon 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 for 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 - 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 Rachmaninoff. (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
