PIANO LESSONS

In this remarkable memoir, Anna Goldsworthy recalls her first steps towards a life in music, from childhood piano lessons with a local jazz muso to international success as a concert pianist. As she discovers passion and ambition, and confronts doubt and disappointment, she learns about much more than tone and technique. This is a story of the getting of wisdom, tender and bittersweet.

With wit and affection, Goldsworthy captures the hopes and uncertainties of youth, the fear and exhilaration of performing, and the complex bonds between teacher and student. An unforgettable cast of characters joins her: her family; her friends and rivals; and her teacher, Mrs Sivan, who inspires and challenges her in equal measure, and who transforms what seems an impossible dream into something real and sustaining.

Anna Goldsworthy is a classical pianist and writer. She won Newcomer of the Year at the 2010 Australian Book Industry Awards, and PIANO LESSONS was shortlisted for the Melbourne Prize, the NSW Premier¹s Literary Awards and the Australian Book Industry Awards. Her acclaimed stage adaptation of PIANO LESSONS was nominated for a Matilda Award. Her writing has also appeared in THE BEST AUSTRALIAN ESSAYS series.