Australian Violinist Donald Hazelwood, has Died at 95

He served as the Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for 33 years

Born in 1930, Donald grew up on Little Plain, southwest of Sydney, Australia. He was first introduced to violin at age 4 and was said to practice in the family farm’s machine shed. He attended Albury Grammar School, where he received violin lessons from Sister Mary Thérèse at the Convent of Mercy. Later, he attended the Sydney Conservatorium in 1948. There, he met Anne Menzies, a clarinet student, and by 1952, they were inseparable until Anne died in 1998.

Don first played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1952, under the inaugural Chief Conductor Eugene Goossens. In 1965, Don was appointed co-concertmaster alongside Robert Miller, becoming sole concertmaster shortly after Miller’s retirement in 1967. For 20 years, he held this post on his own until the arrival of Dene Olding in 1987, with whom Don shared the role until his retirement in 1988.

"Diplomatic and gentlemanly in his interactions with colleagues, conductors and visiting guest musicians, Donald was able to manage positive and professional relationships with hundreds of people over the years," the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

"Of course the concertmaster must be above all else a superb musician, and Don never lost sight of this core responsibility," they added. "His commitment to proper rehearsal time was well-known, and he ensured he was meticulously prepared for every single performance – even when featuring in up to 300 per year."

Don also starred as a soloist with his orchestra — and in a highlight of his career, he performed Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending to 100,000 people at the Orchestra’s first-ever Symphony Under the Stars concert. As a chamber musician, he performed in The Austral Quartet, Australian Trio, and Hazelwood Trio.

For a 23-year tenure,  Don served as the President of the Sydney Symphony Benevolent Fund, a retirement fund and financial assistance program established in 1947 under the patronage of Eugene Goossens.

As educators, he and his wife Anne were tutors at Australia's National Music Camps for many years. Also, Don was asked to serve as Director of the National Ensemble (1989–1991) training orchestra and he was involved in Australian Youth Orchestra programs for several years.

Donald was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1976 and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1988 for his services to music. He was awarded the 1997 Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to music in Australia.

Our condolences to Mr. Hazelwood's family, friends, and colleagues.