Overseas Study For City Pianist

Press, Volume C, Issue 29514, 16 May 1961, Page 2

Overseas Study For City Pianist

A scholarship entitling her to a year’s study at a German music academy has been awarded a young Christchurch pianist. Miss Caroline Lili, of Riccarton.

The scholarship has been awarded by the German Academy Exchange Service at Bonn, together with two others to New Zealand students in other fields. Educated at Christchurch West High School, Miss Lili has been teaching privately for several years and has been teaching music at St. Margaret’s College for nearly three years. She has done a considerable amount of broadcasting, both as an accompanist and as a solo artist. In Auckland when she was 19 years old, she was awarded first prize in a concerto contest. Miss Lili first entered the competitive field in music at the age of 10 years when she took part in local competitions. Most of her study has been done with Mr and Mrs Ernest Empson, who trained her in concert work. Through Mr

Empson Miss Lili joined the Eraica Club and has performed at the club’s concerts in the Civic Theatre twice a year for eight years. With the same clubs she has played in concerts at the University of Canterbury. Concert Work “When I return to New Zealand I will teach a few pupils but I really hope to do concert work and professional accompanying,” she said. Miss Lili said she liked accompanying and thought there was a lot of scope for it in New Zealand. “There are so few doing it professionally at the moment.” When Miss Lili received confirmation of the scholarship award from the Minister for the German Federal Republic (Mr H. Noehring) she found it did not make so much of an upheaval in her life as it could have done She had planned to go to Germany for a year’s study anyway and simply increased her original plan to take in two years. “I don’t know yet where I will be for the first year.” she said. “It could be one of two or three acadamies. But I will stay on and perhaps go to Vienna in my second year.” Language A knowledge of German was required of all applicants and Miss Lili has been well prepared for this. She has been studying the language by correspondence for some years and spent 12 months taking grammar and pronunciation lessons from a private teacher in Christchurch. She also has several pen-

friends in Germany, one of whom once toured New Zealand with the Hohner Accordion Orchestra. Teaching and practising do not leave Miss Lili much time for other interests but she is interested in art and likes to sketch for her own amusement. Altogether, she intends to be away from New Zealand from two and a half years and will return via Canada and the United States where she will visit friends and relatives. She will leave on the Rangitikei on August 10. The daughter of Mr and Mrs J. T. Lili, Miss Lili is a Fellow of Trinity College and Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, Trinity College, London.