VIOLIN 1951 : Ninth Prize
Fredell Lack was a child of six when she began studying the violin. Later, after graduating from the Juilliard Graduate School of Music, she embarked on a dazzling career as a concert soloist, winning many artistic awards. She has performed as soloist with the world’s finest orchestras, making more than 20 European concert tours, and touring Israel, Canada, Central America, and Mexico as well. Her recordings are available on five different record labels.
But Fredell Lack's artistry does not end at the steps of the concert hall or the doors of the recording studio. She has also been instrumental in bringing the world of music to thousands of youngsters in the Houston area, both as a teacher at the University of Houston (Moores School of Music) and as founder of Young Audiences of Houston. In 1979, she received the organisation's Fredell Lack Award, the first of an annually award to recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in education. When the Moores Opera House opened its doors in 1997, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her 40 years of service to the University of Houston.
Ironically, Fredell Lack never intended to be a teacher. Drafted by Alfred Neumann, then University of Houston’s dean of arts and sciences, she joined the music faculty in 1959 and has never regretted it. The Farfel Award, which she won in 1983, is one of many important honors she has received.