Diedre Allison Irons (born 9 March 1945) is a Canadian-born concert pianist who has been based in New Zealand since 1977.

Biography

Irons was a child prodigy and a star pupil of the Russian-born Canadian composer and virtuoso pianist Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté. At the age of 12, she made a debut with the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1947, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at the Centennial Concert Hall. Including travelling performances, the WSO presents an average of ...

, performing the Schumann piano concerto. She studied at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

, and then went on to the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

where she completed a Diploma in Performance, studying with Mieczyslaw Horszowski and

Rudolf Serkin Rudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century. Early life, childhood debut, and education Serkin was born in ...

. Irons was subsequently a member of the teaching staff of the Curtis Institute for nine years from 1968 to 1977. Irons moved to New Zealand in 1977, and became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in 1981. She was a teacher at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

from 1992 to 2003. Irons has performed in many countries as a concert soloist and as a member of chamber music ensembles. She toured 25 countries with the Slovenian violinist Miha Pogačnik between 1984 and 1991, giving piano master classes and concerts. In New Zealand she has collaborated with

Alexander Ivashkin Alexander Vasilievich Ivashkin (), (17 August 1948 – 31 January 2014) was a Russian cellist, writer, academic and conductor. He was a professor of music and the Chair of Performance Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London since 1999, the d ...

Michael Houstoun Michael James Houstoun (born 20 October 1952) is a concert pianist from New Zealand. He has twice in his life performed the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas and in between these achievements, he overcame focal hand dystonia. Early life Ho ...

, Jan Tawroszewics, and the

New Zealand String Quartet The New Zealand String Quartet (established 1987) is New Zealand's only full-time string quartet. The New Zealand String Quartet are resident artists at the biennial Adam Chamber Music Festival in Nelson, New Zealand, and have been the quartet ...

. Her international collaborations include the

Kodály Quartet The Kodály Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1966 in Budapest, Hungary, originally as ''Sebestyén Quartet''. In 1969, with the approval of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Hungarian Republic, the quartet assumed its present name in h ...

, the Kocian Quartet and the Latin American String Quartets. Irons has appeared many times with the

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the largest professional orchestra in the South Island of New Zealand, based in the city of Christchurch. It was established in 1958 as the John Ritchie String Orchestra, due to the vision and encoura ...

, the

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The Auckland Philharmonia (formerly Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall, and it is also the accompanying ensemble for Auckland stage ...

and the

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the New Zealand Government, per the New Zealand Symphony ...

. She has also appeared frequently on television and radio and has many recordings. Her discography includes the five Beethoven piano concertos.

Honours and awards

In the

1989 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1989 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

, Irons 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 ...

, for services to music. In 2007 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music (''honoris causa'') from

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...

in Manitoba, Canada, "in recognition of outstanding contributions in the world of music through superlative achievement as a talented, dedicated and passionate pianist". In the

2011 Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2011 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

, for services to music.

References

External links

Diedre Irons – NZSO profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irons, Diedre 1945 births Living people New Zealand classical pianists New Zealand women classical pianists Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Curtis Institute of Music alumni 21st-century classical pianists Musicians from Winnipeg Canadian emigrants to New Zealand Naturalised citizens of New Zealand New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Canadian classical pianists 21st-century women pianists