Lubka Kolessa facts for kids

Lubka Oleksandrivna Kolessa (Ukrainian: Любов Олександрівна Колесса) was a famous classical pianist and piano teacher. She was born on May 19, 1902, in Lviv, Ukraine, and passed away on August 15, 1997, in Toronto, Canada.

Biography

A Musical Family

Lubka Kolessa came from a very talented family in Lviv, Western Ukraine. Music was a big part of their lives. Many family members were professional musicians and composers. Her uncle, Filaret Kolessa, was a well-known expert in Ukrainian folk music. Her cousin, Mykola Kolessa, was a famous Ukrainian composer and conductor. Lubka's sister, Chrystia Kolessa, was also a brilliant cellist.

Lubka's first piano lessons were from her grandmother. Her grandmother had learned piano from Karol Mikuli, who was a student of the famous composer Frédéric Chopin. In 1904, when Lubka was young, her family moved to Vienna, Austria. Her father, Oleksandr Kolessa, was a politician. He had been elected to the Austrian parliament, called the Austrian Reichsrat.

Becoming a Star Pianist

In Vienna, Lubka studied at the Musikakademie Wien. She learned from great teachers like Louis Thern and Emil von Sauer. She earned her diploma in 1920 when she was just 16 years old. After that, she quickly became famous as a brilliant pianist. She performed as a soloist with the best orchestras and conductors all over Europe.

Concert Tours and Recordings

In 1928, Lubka went on a very successful tour to her homeland, which was then part of Poland. Later that year, she made some special recordings for Welte-Mignon. These were some of the last classical piano pieces recorded using this old technology. From 1929 to 1930, she continued her studies with Eugen d'Albert. He greatly influenced her unique playing style.

On May 21, 1937, Lubka Kolessa even appeared on British television. She played a concert while wearing traditional Ukrainian folk clothing. In 1938, she had a successful tour in South America. She continued to perform in Europe until 1939. During this time, she recorded many albums for His Master's Voice in Germany.

Lubka married a British diplomat named James Edward Tracy Philipps in Prague on March 13, 1939. This was just before the country was occupied.

Life in Canada and Teaching

At the peak of her career as a concert pianist, Lubka moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in 1940. She continued to perform many concerts, including shows with the famous New York Philharmonic orchestra. She toured all across North and South America and became one of the most well-known pianists on these continents. In 1954, she decided to stop her concert tours. She wanted to focus on teaching music instead.

From 1942, Lubka taught piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She also taught at the École de musique Vincent-d'Indy in Montreal from 1955 to 1966. For twelve years, she taught at McGill University. In 1959-1960, she taught in New York City at the Ukrainian Music Institute and also at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. Many of her students became famous musicians. These included conductor Mario Bernardi, composers Clermont Pépin and John Hawkins, and pianists like Howard Brown, Karen Quinton, Richard Gresko, Louis-Philippe Pelletier, Eugene Plawutsky, Pierrette Froment Savoie, Luba Zuk, and Ireneus Zuk.

Recordings

In 1999, the Doremi label released a collection of three CDs (DHR-7743-5). These CDs included Lubka Kolessa's commercial recordings, along with some radio broadcasts and private recordings from 1936-1949. The music on these CDs ranges from pieces by Domenico Scarlatti to Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto and Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel.

More recently, some of Kolessa's older recordings have been re-released. For example, her rare recording of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, conducted by Karl Bohm in 1939, is part of Karl Bohm's "The Early Years Box" (Warner, 19CD).

Media

Lubka Kolessa plays for Welte-Mignon in 1928 Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka No. 23 in D major Op. 33, 2