Romola Costantino music and theatre programs and newspaper clippings, ca. 1950-1988

MLMSS 8905/Boxes 1-13
MLMSS 8905/Boxes 14X-17X

fonds

ca. 1950-1988

Textual Records, Clippings

152189

4.3 metres of textual material (13 boxes and 4 outsize boxes)

Romola Costantino (1930-1988), Australian pianist, accompanist, soloist and teacher who also worked as a music and theatre critic for the Sydney Morning Herald. Born in Sydney of an Italian father Napoleone Costantino (1899-1982) and his Welsh-born wife Rosamond Lindner. She completed an arts and master of music degrees at Sydney University. She also studied music in Italy at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and later at the Royal Academy of Music in London and was awarded a Performers Diploma from N.S.W. State Conservatorium of Music.

In 1956, after winning the NSW Finals of the ABC’s Concerto Competition, she went overseas on a three-year scholarship awarded by the Italian Government. She performed solo recitals throughout Europe, and on her return to Sydney in 1959 she was engaged for concerto performances with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, recitals for ABC radio and TV, and chamber music for Musica Viva. She has appeared at Australian Music Festivals including Adelaide, Canberra, Queensland, Sydney and Musica Viva Easter festivals, and has adjudicated in most of Australia’s major competitions including Sydney International Piano Competition, Sun Aria, and Metropolitan Aria, ABC Instrumental and Vocal and others.

In 1962, she joined the Sydney Morning Herald as music critic and for eighteen years wrote music and drama criticism. In 1970, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, the Queen’s Jubilee medal in 1977 and Order of the British Empire in 1978 for services to the arts. In 1973, Romola Costantino gave the first solo piano recital and public performance in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. In 1980, she moved to Adelaide and became senior lecturer in piano at the South Australian College of Advanced Education (CAE).

Reference:
Library correspondence file
Compiled from the collection

BOXES 1-10
Theatre, dance and concert programs and playbills from music, dance and drama performances and recitals by Australian and international touring companies and artists, ca. 1953-1988, includes ABC Concert and recitals series and Musica Viva programs and flyers for recitals by Romola Costantino

BOX 11
Printed periodicals ‘Musica d’Oggi’, 1961-1965

Printed book of Australian short stories, ‘Summer’s Tales 2’, Macmillan, 1965

Printed ephemera and programs relating to Romola Costantino involvement in music festivals, recitals and concerts at Musica Viva, ABC and various music societies, and performance at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, ca. 1961-1985

BOX 12
Letters to Romola Costantino, 1970-1986

Records of employment relating to Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), ca. 1969-1988

Three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, ca. 1951-1955

BOXES 13, 14X-17X
Loose newspaper clippings of arts reviews and articles some written by Romola Costantino, ca. 1950-1985

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights owners
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Information upgraded as part of the Manuscripts Unprocessed eRecords Project 2012-2013