Internationally acclaimed Australian pianist Roger Woodward has donated a copy of his recently released autobiography to the Guyra Shire Library.
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The inscription in the book reads “For the people of “Sugarloaf” Guyra and Ebor with respect and love”, acknowledging his family links to the area.
Entitled Beyond Black And White, the author documents a rich life’s journey in this part memoir, part manifesto: from boyhood lessons to working with the world’s most celebrated musicians, conductors and orchestras in a career that spans more than fifty years in Europe, China, Japan and the Americas.
As a brilliant young artist in the early sixties Roger Woodward left Sydney to pursue piano studies behind the Iron Curtain, in Poland, at the height of the Cold War.
His experiences awakened a profound sense of social justice and a deep appreciation of the relationship between art and revolution that has informed a lifelong dedication to human rights.
Mr Woodward made a connection to his Guyra roots in the 1990s after he was contacted by David Bearup.
His mother’s family came from the area and he still has relatives who live here. He brought his musical talent to Guyra in 1996 and 1999, with concert performances in the Guyra Community Hall.
The second concert was the subject of an episode of Australian Story, with a film crew from the ABC accompanying his visit.
At the time he said “I’m also feeling that I’m coming back to my roots because my family go back seven generations to this neck of the woods.”
The book is available to borrow from the library.