16 Facts About Fanny Waterman

Dame Fanny Waterman was a British pianist and academic piano teacher, who is particularly known as the founder, chair and artistic director of the Leeds International Piano Competition.

Fanny Waterman was president of the Harrogate International Music Festival.

Fanny Waterman attended Allerton High School and began to study with Tobias Matthay.

Fanny Waterman won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where she studied with Cyril Smith.

Fanny Waterman started giving public performances, and in 1941 opened the concert season in Leeds with the Leeds Symphony Society.

Fanny Waterman was artistic director of the competition and, from 1981, chair of the competition jury, holding the posts until 2015.

Fanny Waterman was a jury member for other international piano competitions, including the Tchaikovsky, Chopin, the Horowitz and the Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition.

Fanny Waterman held strong views on piano pedagogy in the UK, blaming electronic keyboards, interruptive mobile phones and insufficient discipline for what she perceived as the country's weakness in generating top-class performers.

Fanny Waterman co-wrote Piano Competition: The Story of the Leeds with Wendy Thompson.

Fanny Waterman was Director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Piano Performance at Leeds College of Music until 2006, and a patron of The Purcell School for Young Musicians.

Fanny Waterman served as honorary vice-president of the British Society of Women Musicians and honorary president of the Harrogate International Festivals from 2009.

Fanny Waterman was a guest for BBC Radio Four's Desert Island Discs in July 2010.

Fanny Waterman donated her papers and memorabilia to the library of the University of Leeds in November 2017.

Fanny Waterman died at a care home in Ilkley on 20 December 2020.

Fanny Waterman was appointed OBE in 1971, CBE in 2001 and DBE in the 2005 New Year Honours.

Fanny Waterman was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music honoris causa by the University of Leeds in 1992, and received honorary degrees from Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of York.