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Eileen Joyce

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Biographical informationEileen Alannah Joyce CMG (1 January 1908 – 25 March 1991) was an Australian pianist whose international career spanned more than 30 years. She was born in Tasmania, grew up in Western Australia and lived in England in her adult years.

Her musical training began as the Catholic convent schools she attended in the WA Goldfields. After her first major success at the Grand Eisteddfod in 1926, in which she won several gold medals and was also spotted by famous musician and composer Percy Grainger who regarded her as a rare and transcendentally gifted young pianist, Joyce raised enough money through concert performances to fund her move overseas. She studied music at the renowned Hochschule für Musik and the Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig.

She won international acclaim as a concert pianist from the 1930s through to the 1960s. Her recordings made her popular in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during World War II, and she was compared in popular esteem with Gracie Fields and Vera Lynn. In 1947 an eminent German critic classed her with Clara Schumann, Sophie Menter and Teresa Carreño, and in 1950 Irving Kolodin called her "the world's greatest unknown pianist". During the 1950s she would play 50 sold-out recitals a year in London alone. A 1950 biography of Joyce's early life became a best-seller, was translated into various languages and developed into the feature film 'Wherever She Goes'.

As a performer Joyce would be remembered not only for her exceptional musicianship and talent but also for the glamour and style she brought to all her performances that became a significant part of her enduring legacy. Her extravagant and ever-changing feast of gowns, shoes and accessories infused her with a celebrity status and drew the curiosity of audiences. She also maintained a full diary of media engagements, was featured in the top magazines of the day and even ventured into the burgeoning film industry of the 1940s, performing for a number of high profile movie soundtracks.

Twice married, Joyce had one son, John (4 September 1939) to her first husband Douglas Barratt who died in active service in World War II. Her second husband was film executive Christopher Mann.
While Joyce did not study at UWA, she was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Music at UWA in 1979. As a good friend of Sir Frank Callaway, who was the Head of the Department of Music, and his wife Lady Kathleen Callaway, Joyce also set up the Eileen Joyce Music Fund and donated money for the building of the Eileen Joyce Studio.

In 1981, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for services to music in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

As a last act of generosity to the UWA Department of Music and friend Frank Callaway, in 1990 she donated her personal archive to the Callaway Centre.

Joyce died in England in 1991, aged 83.Post-nominalsCMGDate of birth1st January 1908Date of death25th March 1991