TALENTED PIANISTE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 257, 29 October 1931, Page 10

TALENTED PIANISTE.

Miss Marjorie Alexander’s Splendid Record. Miss Marjorie Alexander, whose farewell pianoforte recital will take place this evening in the Civic Theatre, has probably the greatest list of consecutive successes ever gained by anyone so young in the history of New Zealand. In 1922 and 1923 she won first prize for piano solo under ten years at the local competitions. In 1926 she won first prize both at Christchurch and at Wellington for piano test under fourteen years. In 1927 she passed the Higher Local Trinity College examination with honours, winning also the gold medal for highest marks in New Zealand, also the intermediate of the Associated Board, and the Violet Ward scholarship for highest marks. In 1928 she won the Begg’s scholarship at Christchurch competitions, the Wellington Competitions Society scholarship, the Associate of Trinity College, the gold medal for New Zealand advanced grade Associate Board examination, and the Violet Ward prize. Again in 1929 she won the Bristol scholarship at the Christchurch competitions, the piano championship (Tucker trophy and gold medal) Ashburton competitions, the gold medal (Ashburton) for solo under seventeen, and also the gold medal for solo under twenty-one, the gold medal for highest marks in Licentiate examination of Trinity College, and the gold medal for New Zealand in the Associated Board examination; and for the third time in succession the Violet Ward scholarship. In 1930, at the Christchurch competitions, she was awarded first for solo under eighteen years and the chief piano solo; at Ashburton the solo under t-wenty-one years, the Begg scholarship (under twenty-one years) and again the Tucker trophy and gold medal ;also for the fourth time the Violet Ward prize, and an exhibition at the Royal College of Music (London).

In 1931 she again won the Tucker trophy and gold medal at Ashburton competitions and the chief piano solo under twenty-one years, and has recently been granted a fellowship of Trinity College. Miss Lillian Kennard, L.A.8., has been her only teacher. The various musical societies and firms have combined to raise the necessary funds to enable her to take advantage of her exhibition, and she expects to leave the Dominion early in December. Her mother will accompany her to London. She is just eighteen.