Hazel Harrison
Hazel Harrison (May 12, 1883 – April 29, 1969) was an American concert pianist. She was the first fully American-trained musician to appear with a European orchestra.[1]
Harrison was born in
Harrison later returned to the United States, and while performing in Chicago received sponsorship to travel back to Europe. During the next several years, she continued her studies with Hugo van Dalen in Berlin. Van Dalan arranged for Harrison to have an audition with Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni; after hearing her, Busoni, who had previously refused to accept more students, decided to oversee her training.[5] She then began performing as a concert pianist both in Europe and the U.S., eluding much recognition in the U.S. in spite of the fact that she was lauded in the Black press.
In 1931, Harrison accepted a job as the head of the piano department at the
In 1936 she moved to Washington, D.C., and accepted a teaching job at Howard University, where she remained until retirement in 1955. While teaching, Harrison still performed in the United States, and after retirement she accepted positions at Alabama A&M University and Jackson College.
References
- ISBN 0-7876-4066-2.
- ISBN 0-253-32774-1.
- ISBN 0-8103-4749-0.
- ISBN 9781501759840.
- ^ "Harrison, Hazel (1883-1969)". encyclopedia.com. Gale Research Inc. Retrieved 13 Dec 2018.
Further reading
- Cazort, Jean E. and Hobson, Constance Tibbs, Born to Play: The Life and Career of Hazel Harrison, Greenwood Press, 1983 ISBN 0-313-23643-7
- Smith, Jessie Carnie (ed.) Notable Black American Women, Gale Research, 1992 ISBN 0-8103-4749-0
- Walker-Hill, Helen. Piano Music by Black Women Composers: A Catalog of Solo and Ensemble Works, Greenwood Press, 1992 ISBN 0--313-28141-6
External links