Pianist. She was the youngest child of a Jewish family. She began playing piano age the a of five-year-old; she was a student at the Guildhall School of Music winning a Gold Medal before studying at the Royal Academy of Music under noted pianist Tobias Augustus Matthay. Her debut concert in England was 1907, which was followed by a tour around Europe. Her American tour was in 1922 where she started performing jazz along with classical music, of which she had her own versions. She began to have lunchtime concerts a few weeks after the commencement of World War II. They were Monday through Friday, for six-and-a-half years without fail. During the London bombing, the concerts were moved to a safe room. Every artist was paid five guineas no matter who they were. She presented 1,968 concerts seen by 824,152. Her concerts influenced the formation of the City Music Society. For maintaining the morale of the people of London, King George VI awarded her with the Dame Commander of the Order of the Birtish Empire in 1941. She has her last public concert in 1961 as her health was declining. Her home in Hampstead Garden Suburb on 48 Wildwood Road has been marked with the United Kingdom Blue Plaque to note the home of a famous person.
Pianist. She was the youngest child of a Jewish family. She began playing piano age the a of five-year-old; she was a student at the Guildhall School of Music winning a Gold Medal before studying at the Royal Academy of Music under noted pianist Tobias Augustus Matthay. Her debut concert in England was 1907, which was followed by a tour around Europe. Her American tour was in 1922 where she started performing jazz along with classical music, of which she had her own versions. She began to have lunchtime concerts a few weeks after the commencement of World War II. They were Monday through Friday, for six-and-a-half years without fail. During the London bombing, the concerts were moved to a safe room. Every artist was paid five guineas no matter who they were. She presented 1,968 concerts seen by 824,152. Her concerts influenced the formation of the City Music Society. For maintaining the morale of the people of London, King George VI awarded her with the Dame Commander of the Order of the Birtish Empire in 1941. She has her last public concert in 1961 as her health was declining. Her home in Hampstead Garden Suburb on 48 Wildwood Road has been marked with the United Kingdom Blue Plaque to note the home of a famous person.
Bio by: Linda Davis
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