Donald Hazelwood papers, photographs and other material

fonds

1808-1814, 1884-2008

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs, Moving Images, Clippings, Ephemera, Posters, Cartographic Materials, Medals

872709

3.39 metres of textual material (10 boxes, 2 outsize boxes and 1 outsize folder), some files contain photographs
19 albums (749 photographic prints) - mostly colour
311 negatives - colour
1 videocassette (28 min.) - VHS
5 posters
3 maps
3 military medals - silver, bronze, with ribbons on a mounting bar

Donald Leslie Grant Hazelwood, violinist and concertmaster, was born in Sydney on 1 March 1930, the second son of Leslie and Emily Hazelwood. He was given his first violin when he was four years old. From the age of eight, he lived on the family property at Little Plain, Urana in the Riverina region of New South Wales. He attended Albury Grammar School as a boarder and then commenced studies at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music in 1948, learning violin under the tutelage of Florent Hoogstoel. He went to France in 1955 to further his studies at the Paris Conservatoire under René Benedetti. In 1956, after returning to Sydney, he married Anne Menzies. She was a clarinettist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for 26 years until 1994. She died in 1998. The couple had two children, Jane and Roy. Donald remarried in 2000 to Helen Phillips.

Hazelwood first played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in 1952, as a second violinist under Eugene Goossens. In 1965, he was appointed co-concertmaster with Robert Miller, later becoming concertmaster, a position he held for 33 years until his retirement in 1998. He was also President of the SSO Benevolent Fund. He toured with the SSO on seven international tours. In 1997, the SSO presented a Tribute Concert in his honour at the Sydney Opera House, for which Hazelwood performed Dvorak's Romance for Violin and Orchestra.

Hazelwood represented Australia at the 1974 Expo in Spokane, Washington, performing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. He was Guest Concertmaster of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 1981, and one of two Australian musicians chosen to perform in the World Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm in 1985.

In addition to his solo and orchestral career, Hazelwood performed with several chamber ensembles. The Austral String Quartet, led by Hazelwood, was established in Sydney in the late 1950s. The Quartet undertook two major international tours for Musica Viva, in 1972 (with Ronald Ryder, Ronald Cragg and Gregory Elmaloglou) and in 1975 (with Peter Ashley, Ronald Cragg and Gregory Elmaloglou). The Hazelwood Trio (with wife Anne Menzies and pianist Rachel Valler) made four tours to Asia and one to Europe between 1984 and 1997. Hazelwood also gave regular Sydney performances with the Warrawee Ensemble.

For his services to music, Hazelwood was awarded an OBE in 1976 and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1988.

Reference:
Bunday, Helen. From Farmer to Fiddler: The Story of Donald Hazelwood, Concertmaster Emeritus. Eminent Musicians of Australia; v. 4. Terry Hills, N.S.W.: Bowerbird Press, 2007.

SERIES 1
Donald Hazelwood papers and photographs relating to studies, career and achievements

SERIES 2
Donald Hazelwood papers and photographs relating to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

SERIES 3
Donald Hazelwood papers and photographs relating to the Austral String Quartet

SERIES 4
Donald Hazelwood papers and photographs relating to the Hazelwood Trio and Warrawee Ensemble

SERIES 5
Hazelwood family papers, photographs and other material

Posters from this collection have been catalogued separately at POSTERS/2020/236-240.
Maps from this collection have been catalogued separately at M Ser 4 000/1 MLMSS 10425/1-3.

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Reproduction Restricted: Applies to MLMSS 10425/Boxes 1, 7-11
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder

Prior to its presentation to the Library, this collection was used by Helen Bunday in researching and writing her book 'From Farmer to Fiddler : The Story of Donald Hazelwood, Concertmaster Emeritus'. Eminent Musicians of Australia ; v. 4. Terry Hills, N.S.W.: Bowerbird Press, 2007.