Ada Elizabeth Corder (20 March 1895 – 27 September 1987) was an Australian music teacher and pianist. Best known of her pupils was Nancy Weir. She performed and taught as Ada Freeman before her marriage in 1937.

Early life and education

Corder was born at Ararat, Victoria on 20 March 1895, daughter of Ada (née Byrne) and railway employee James Charles Freeman. She learned piano from Mother Mary Agnes during her schooling at the Faithful Companions of Jesus convent in Richmond, where soprano Stella Power was also a pupil. At the 1909 Australian Natives Association (ANA) Musical Competitions, she won the champion under 14 for piano solo. She gained honours in her Grade III piano examination in 1910. After a concert with tenor Walter Kirby in 1911, ''Punch'' described her as "though quite a child, we have a pianist of much maturity of thought and execution". She won grand champion instrumentalist at the 1912 ANA Musical Competitions. Ada_Freeman_1913

With licentiate qualifications from the LCM, she enrolled in the

Melbourne Conservatorium of Music The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music is the music school at the University of Melbourne and part of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne City Centre on the S ...

in 1913, where she was taught piano by Edward Goll. She was awarded the Ormond exhibition each year for achieving the highest marks and graduated in 1917 with a Bachelor of Music (honours).

Career

Corder began teaching pianoforte before her graduation. She gave frequent concerts as a soloist and accompanist. She first performed with the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on fun ...

in 1918. She was sought after as a piano teacher and nurtured the careers of students such as Esther Rofe, Geoffrey Saba and Nancy Weir. She accompanied the latter to Berlin in 1930 where both student and teacher took lessons from

Artur Schnabel Artur Schnabel (17 April 1882 – 15 August 1951) was an Austrian-born classical pianist, composer and Pedagogy, pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th ...

. Years later she and Weir established the Australian Musicians Overseas Scholarship.

Honours and recognition

Corder was awarded honorary life membership of the Victorian Music Teachers Association. She was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1975 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1975 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1975 to celebr ...

for service to music.

Personal and death

Corder married Henry Corder (died 1965) in 1937. She died at Camberwell on 27 September 1987.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corder, Ada Elizabeth 1895 births 1987 deaths Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Australian pianists Australian music educators University of Melbourne alumni