Lance Dossor

Who was Lance Dossor?

Lance Dossor was a British-born concert pianist and teacher who emigrated to Australia.

He was born Harry Lancelot Dossor in Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom, the third child of a jeweller who was also a distinguished amateur tenor.

He was educated at Seaford College and matriculated at the University of London. In 1932 he obtained an open scholarship to the Royal College of Music where he studied piano with Herbert Fryer and composition with Herbert Howells. In 1936 he was awarded the Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, given only every three years to the most outstanding student. He won the 1936 Franz Liszt Prize at the Vienna International Piano Competition, and in the following year the Sonata Prize and overall Fourth Prize in the 1937 International Chopin Piano Competition. In 1938 he was awarded fourth prize in the Ysaye Competition in Belgium - the first three places going to Emil Gilels, Moura Lympany and Yakov Flier.

He later recounted the tale that, while he was still a student, he obtained entry to a rehearsal of one of Sergei Rachmaninoff's concerts in London. He was introduced to Rachmaninoff afterwards by the British pianist Cyril Smith as " ... a very promising young pianist who has recently been successful in the Chopin prize". Rachmaninoff responded in his heavy Russian accent "Ah, but who were the judges?".