Max Olding
AM (4 July 1929 – 17 November 2021) and Pamela Page (born 4 April 1934) were a distinguished Australian husband and wife team of duo-pianists. They performed separately in recitals and as concerto soloists, chamber music performers and accompanists both nationally and internationally, but were best known as a piano duo.
They met when they tied for first place in the inaugural Royal Concert Trust Fund Competition in London in 1954.
They married in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1955.
They performed as a duo for the opening of
ABC Television in 1956. They gave many recitals in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Austria, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, and New Zealand. In Australia they appeared with all major and many regional orchestras.
Their repertoire was extensive and included original two-piano works and concertos as well as arrangements and transcriptions.
Larry Sitsky
Lazar "Larry" Sitsky (born 10 September 1934) is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator and scholar. His long term legacy is still to be assessed, but through his work to date he has made a significant contribution to the Austra ...
composed his ''Concerto for Two Solo Pianos'' for this duo.
Olding and Page recorded this work with the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1977 on the
World Record Club label. Many other works have been dedicated to them by composers including
Felix Werder,
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighboring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigin ...
,
Philip Bračanin,
John Carmichael and
Margaret Sutherland
Margaret Ada Sutherland (20 November 189712 August 1984) was an Australian composer, among the best-known female musicians her country has produced.
Career
Margaret Sutherland's father was George Sutherland, a journalist and writer and membe ...
.
In the 1950s, Olding and Page were duo-pianists who broadcast recitals on
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
radio, including repertoire by Australian composer
Margaret Sutherland
Margaret Ada Sutherland (20 November 189712 August 1984) was an Australian composer, among the best-known female musicians her country has produced.
Career
Margaret Sutherland's father was George Sutherland, a journalist and writer and membe ...
.
In 1975, Olding and Page appeared on TV, performing music for four hands in the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
's educational television series, ''All About Music''.
During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Olding and Page performed together in concerts that were also broadcast nationally on ABC radio.
Max Olding and Pamela Page have one son, the
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
ist
Dene Olding.
Max Olding
Maxwell Charles Olding was born on 4 July 1929. He grew up in
Launceston, Tasmania, where as a pianist he often competed against Australian composer
Peter Sculthorpe
Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighboring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigin ...
, who later joked that he turned his focus to composition because he could never beat Olding in piano competitions. In 1950, at age 21, he was appointed an
Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) Examiner. He won the Commonwealth final of the 1952 ABC's Concerto Competition.
He began his tertiary teaching career at the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
Conservatorium. He was an adjudicator at the 1952 City of
Sydney Eisteddfod
The Sydney Eisteddfod is an independent community based not-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee a registered charity in Sydney, Australia, and listed on the federal Register of Cultural Organisations eligible to receive tax-deductible do ...
and has since adjudicated at most of Australia's major music competitions, has chaired many of them and has acted as external examiner for higher degrees at the Universities of Melbourne,
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
,
Tasmania
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, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
,
Southern Queensland and
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...
(QUT). Olding adjudicated at the 2010 National Young Performers Awards in
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...
, New Zealand.
In 1952 he was a state finalist in the
ABC Concerto and Vocal Competition.
He was a patron of the Music Teachers Association of Queensland, the Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild and was a Fellow of the Queensland Conservatorium. He gave many
master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed.
"Masterclass" is als ...
es and seminars nationally and internationally.
He was deputy chair and principal examiner (Instrumental) for the
Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) in Queensland. In later years he also worked extensively in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
and New Zealand for the board in examining and promotional activities.
Max Olding held positions as president of the
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, t ...
Society and deputy chair of the Brisbane Institute of Art. He was patron of the Queensland Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild, and was a Life Member of th
Accompanists Guild of QueenslandInc.
Olding was a
Churchill Fellow, awarded in 1970 "To investigate new methods and techniques relating to pianoforte teaching and instruction at advanced and tertiary levels - Japan, Russia, Hungary, France, UK, USA".
Olding recorded chamber music including cello and piano works by Australian composer
Dulcie Holland
Dulcie Sybil Holland Order of Australia, AM (5 January 1913 – 21 May 2000) was an Australian composer and music educator. Best known for her contributions to music education through her involvement with the Australian Music Examinations Boa ...
, on the CD, ''Study in Green: Music of Australian Composers'';
Mozart,
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
and
Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
with violinist
Dene Olding on ''Great Violin Sonatas''; and several pieces with Dene Olding on the compilation album, ''The Essential Violin''.
Max Olding recorded solo piano examination repertoire for the AMEB.
He was also involved in conducting symphonic, choral, operatic and theatre works as well as teaching, administration and as organist and choirmaster.
In 2011, Olding (along with Page) received a Doctor of Music ''
honoris causa'' from the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
, where he had taught piano for many years.
He also held senior teaching and administrative positions at the
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (formerly the Queensland Conservatorium of Music) is a selective, audition based music school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and is part of Griffith University.
History
The Conservatori ...
(deputy director and principal lecturer in piano); QUT (acting head and senior lecturer); and
City University of New York (visiting professor).
He died on 17 November 2021, aged 92.
[ABC Classic, Vale Max Olding](_blank)
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Pamela Page
Pamela Harcourt Page was born on 4 April 1934. She won an Empire Overseas Scholarship to study at Trinity College of Music, London, where she was awarded the Maude Seton Prize for the most outstanding student. She later performed on BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio and television and gave solo and concerto performances in London and the English counties. She was subsequently accepted into
.
Back in Australia, Page provided the close-up scenes of the pianist's hands in ''
(whose character was otherwise played by Suzanne Parrett).
During the 1950s and 1960s, Pamela Page was a pianist for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, now known as the
(ABC), including as a solo pianist.
Page has performed as a pianist in a recording with the
.
Page gave many concerto performances in all capital cities, recitals on ABC radio, live TV appearances and also hosted a TV children's show.
Later, Page was appointed senior lecturer at the Faculty of Music,
'' accompanied by the display of her art.
Pamela Page has recorded solo piano examination repertoire for the
.
, where she had been employed in a teaching capacity since 1968.
"for service to music and to music education".
(AMEB) in Queensland has named its auditorium the Max Olding Auditorium.
Both Pamela Page and Max Olding