Anna Goldsworthy (born 9 June 1974) is an Australian writer, teacher and

classical pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Life

Goldsworthy was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

as the eldest daughter of the writer

Peter Goldsworthy Peter David Goldsworthy AM (born 12 October 1951) is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won major awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera libretti. Goldsworthy began his writing life as a poet, as described in ...

and Helen Goldsworthy. She began studying the piano at the age of six. At the age of eleven she was accepted into the

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...

, studying with the pedagogue Eleonora Sivan, to whom she attributes the fact that she is now a pianist. Goldsworthy completed her Bachelor of Music degree with honours at the Elder Conservatorium before acquiring a Master of Music degree at Texas Christian University, where she held the F. Howard and Mary D. Walsh Graduate Piano Scholarship and studied with Tamás Ungár. In 2004, she graduated from the University of Melbourne with a

Doctor of Musical Arts The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in su ...

degree under the supervision of Ronald Farren-Price, who has been an important mentor. Her thesis topic was "

Fanny Hensel Fanny Mendelssohn (14 November 1805 – 14 May 1847) was a German composer and pianist of the early Romantic era who was also known as Fanny (Cäcilie) Mendelssohn Bartholdy and, after her marriage, Fanny Hensel (as well as Fanny Mendelssohn He ...

and Virtuosity". Additionally, Goldsworthy has studied in Moscow with

Lev Naumov Lev Nikolayevich Naumov (russian: Лев Никола́евич Нау́мов; 12 February 1925, Rostov – 21 August 2005, Moscow) was a Russian classical pianist, composer and educator. Received a title of People's Artist of Russia and was ...

– a pupil of

Heinrich Neuhaus Heinrich Gustav Neuhaus ( pl, Henryk (Harry) Neuhaus, russian: Ге́нрих Густа́вович Нейга́уз, Genrikh Gustavovič Nejgauz, 10 October 1964) was a Russian-born pianist and teacher of German and Polish extraction. Part ...

, who had been a pupil of Leopold Godowsky – with the support of an

Arts SA Arts South Australia (previously Arts SA) was responsible for managing the South Australian Government's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early ...

Emerging Artist Award, and in the Advanced Performance Program at the

Australian National Academy of Music The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) is a classical music performance training facility situated in Melbourne. History ANAM was established in 1994, as part of prime minister Paul Keating's "Creative Nation" initiative. On 23 Oct ...

Musical career

Goldsworthy is an accomplished classical pianist. In 2009 she was a juror for Chamber Music Australia's Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition. In 2004, Goldsworthy completed a world tour performing in festivals and concert halls in Australia, Asia, Europe and North and South America. Highlights included appearances at the Teatro Colón for the Buenos Aires International Music Festival, at the Prince Yong Theatre in Beijing, for the Orchestra of Colours in Athens, and for the Festival Musicale delli Nazioni in Rome. In 2005, she performed the

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ty ...

in the Masters Series of the

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian performing arts organisation comprising 75 full-time musicians, established in 1936. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Ha ...

, and undertook a three-month

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

at the Australia Council Studio at the

Cité internationale des arts The Cité internationale des arts is an artist-in-residence building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in the Marais and the other in Montmartre. Approximately ...

in Paris. She currently teaches piano at the University of Melbourne, and the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

– alongside

Stefan Ammer Stefan Ammer (born 13 July 1942) is a German-Australian pianist, lecturer, teacher and professor of music. A former professor at Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany, and currently at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Australia. Biograph ...

and

Lucinda Collins Lucinda Collins is an Australian pianist, educator and chamber musician, who is currently head of piano at Australia's senior musical academy, the Elder Conservatorium of Music. Biography Lucinda Collins has performed widely throughout Australia ...

– and is artist-in-residence at

Janet Clarke Hall Janet Clarke Hall (JCH) is a residential college of the University of Melbourne in Australia. The college is associated with the Anglican Province of Victoria. JCH is one of the smallest of the colleges of the university and was the first univ ...

. Goldsworthy is a former artistic director of the

Port Fairy Port Fairy (historically known as Belfast) is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the ...

Spring Music Festival. She was appointed in May 2009, succeeding in 2010 Stephen McIntyre who retired after the 2009 festival. She was since 2019 artistic director of the Coriole Music Festival in McLaren Vale until she was appointed director of the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the

. Her debut solo CD, ''Come With Us'', was released by

ABC Classics ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in January 2008. In March 2010 with her trio, Seraphim Trio, she recorded Schubert's

Trout Quintet The ''Trout Quintet'' (''Forellenquintett'') is the popular name for the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, by Franz Schubert. The piano quintet was composed in 1819, when he was 22 years old; it was not published, however, until 1829, a year aft ...

for ABC Classics. In July 2010 she recorded for ABC Classics the music that features in her book ''

Piano Lessons Piano pedagogy is the study of the teaching of piano playing. Whereas the professional field of music education pertains to the teaching of music in school classrooms or group settings, piano pedagogy focuses on the teaching of musical skills t ...

''. Her two-part radio documentary on the Mendelssohn siblings Fanny and Felix, ''Art is not for women: only for girls'', was broadcast on

ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...

in 2004. Alongside Goldsworthy's solo performances, she has received acclaim as a

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

ian. She is a founding member of the Seraphim Trio, which has performed throughout Asia and Europe, and appears regularly in Australia for

Musica Viva Musica Viva was founded in 1945 by Romanian-born violinist Richard Goldner, with the aim of bringing chamber music to Australia. The co-founder was a German-born musicologist, Walter Dullo. At its inception, Musica Viva was a string ensemble pe ...

. The trio studied chamber music with Hatto Beyerle at the

Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (german: Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, italics=unset, abbreviated to HMTMH) is a university of performing arts and media in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Dating ...

, and was awarded the prize for the Leading Piano Trio in the 2001 National Chamber Music Competition. In 2007, the trio launched a national concert series.

Writing

Goldsworthy has published numerous essays on music and cultural issues, and writes regularly for ''

The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...

''. Her memoir ''

'' was released by Black Inc in September 2009. It was shortlisted in the 2010

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

for Best Non Fiction and in the 2010 Australian Book Industry Awards in the categories of Best Non-Fiction and the Newcomer of the Year, which she won. The book was sold to

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

in the US and the movie rights have been sold to Australian director

Ana Kokkinos Ana Kokkinos is an Australian film and television director and screenwriter of Greek descent. She is known for her breakthrough feature film, '' Head On'' (1998), and has also directed television shows such as ''The Secret Life of Us'' and '' ...

. ''Welcome to Your New Life'', also a memoir, was released by Black Inc in March 2013. Anna Goldsworthy is credited alongside her father, Peter Goldsworthy, as writing the stage adaptation of '' Maestro'' which the

State Theatre Company of South Australia The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It ...

performed in early 2009. ''Piano Lessons'' was adapted by Anna Goldsworthy as a stage presentation for the

Queensland Music Festival The Queensland Music Festival (QMF) is a series of musical events staged in a number of locations in Queensland, Australia, usually around late July, every second year. It is financially supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queens ...

in August 2011. She published her third book, ''Melting Moments'', her first work of fiction, and released it on 3 March 2020. It is a domestic book set in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

beginning in 1941, with the main character, Ruby, who travels to Adelaide. It was officially released at the 2020

Adelaide Writers' Week Adelaide Writers' Week, known locally as Writers' Week or WW, is a large and mostly free literary festival held annually in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Considered one of the world's pre-eminent literary events, it forms part of the ...

, with an interview of Goldsworthy and Black Inc. author

Anna Krien Anna Krien is an Australian journalist, essayist, fiction and nonfiction writer and poet. Career Krien has contributed to a number of Australian publications, including ''The'' ''Monthly'', ''The Age'', ''The Big Issue'', ''The Best Australia ...

, who discussed how it felt going from "fact to fiction".

Bibliography

Books

* * * *

Essays and reporting

*"Unfinished Business: Sex, Freedom and Misogyny" in ''

Quarterly Essay ''Quarterly Essay'' is an Australian periodical that straddles the border between magazines and non-fiction books. Printed in a book-like page size and using a single-column format, each issue features a single extended essay of at least 20,000 ...

'', no. 50, June 2013 Articles and essays published in ''The Monthly'':
"A Change is Gonna Come"
February 2007, no. 20
"The Beast of Beethoven"
May 2007, no. 23
"Do Androids Dream of Electric Pianos?"
June 2007, no. 24
"Ein Schwindel!"
August 2007, no. 26
"Like Love in a Marriage"
September 2007, no. 27
"Wunderbar"
December 2007, January 2008, no. 30
"Improvisations"
March 2008, no. 32
"Voices of the land"
September 2014.

Critical studies and reviews

* Review of ''Welcome to Your New Life''.

Awards

Piano *Arts SA Emerging Artist Award *David Paul Landa Memorial Scholarship for Pianists *Finalist 2010 Melbourne Prize Writing *Winner, 2010

Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". ...

for Newcomer of the Year *Shortlisted 2011 National Biography Award *Shortlisted 2010 Australian Book Industry Awards for Best Non-Fiction *Shortlisted 2010

Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction *Shortlisted 2010

Colin Roderick Award The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first present ...

*Shortlisted 2021 Colin Roderick Award

References

External links

*
Seraphim Trio website''Piano Lessons''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsworthy, Anna 1974 births Living people Australian women novelists Australian classical pianists Australian women pianists People educated at Pembroke School, Adelaide University of Adelaide alumni University of Adelaide faculty University of Melbourne alumni Musicians from Adelaide Writers from Adelaide 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century women pianists