Esther Rofe was a child virtuoso, playing the violin and piano by the age of 5. She joined the original Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13. She worked as a pianist in an all-female ensemble, the Magpie Ladies Orchestra, in leading Melbourne venues, and provided accompaniment for growing cinema audiences. Esther studied privately with Dr. A.E. Floyd and Fritz Hart. She studied in London at the Royal College of Music. Her first successes as a composer began with her songs. During the 1930s she was prolific, writing vocal, piano and chamber works. Her first orchestral ballet score Sea Legend was commenced in 1935, and performed in 1942 by the Borovansky Ballet Company in Australia, and later in England. At the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, Rofe returned to Australia. She worked at the ABC in Melbourne and as a commercial arranger for Colgate Palmolive Radio Unit in Sydney. Her second ballet score Terra Australis, was staged by the Borovansky Ballet in 1946. She continued to write ballet music, collaborating with Laurel Martyn and the Victorian Ballet Guild. The Lake televised in 1962 was a major success. She continued to compose to the end of her life. Since 1990, she was starting to be rediscovered, and many of her works were performed including a special ABC tribute for her 90th birthday. Musicologist, Therese Radic commented, " We won't know the significance of someone like Rofe for many years, but she's far more significant than she herself ever thought".
Provenance: Estate of Esther Rofe.
From the description of [Esther Rofe Archive] [manuscript]. [193-?- 2000?] (Libraries Australia). WorldCat record id: 224114046
