The Selection
This month, in honor of her life and legacy (22 March 1920 – 20 December 2020), we are honoring British pianist Dame Fanny Waterman DBE, who was a pianist and teacher, and founder, chair, and artistic director of the Leeds International Piano Competition.
About
Fanny Waterman is known for numerous piano instruction books, which sold over 2 million copies worldwide, and for founding the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1961, of which she served as chair and artistic director until 2015.
Early Life / Career
Born in Leeds, England, Waterman began to study with Tobias Matthay at 18 and won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Cyril Smith. In the 1960s, she decided that young rising stars in the British classical music scene needed some form of goal to strive for in order to give them an edge over overseas pianists and decided to found the Leeds International Piano Competition together with her friend Marion, Countess of Harewood—also a pianist—and Roslyn Lyons.
Her contributions to the city of Leeds’s classical music scene were recognized with the Freedom of the City honor in 2006 and she was appointed OBE in 1971, CBE in 2001, and DBE in 2005. She was also awarded a doctorate by the University of Leeds in 1992.
Even after Waterman turned 90, she still taught masterclasses and was heavily involved in the Leeds competition—“I am a busy breeches,” she said of her continued involvement in the music scene.
The Series
PL Pianist of the Month is a Piano League series that features one pianist a month, celebrating their achievements and dedications. You can nominate a pianist here.
