DuPré, Jacqueline
DuPré, Jacqueline
DuPré, Jacqueline, renowned English cellist; b. Oxford, Jan. 26, 1945; d. London, Oct. 19, 1987. She entered the London Cello School at the age of five. While still a child, she began studies with her principal mentor, William Pleeth, making her first public appearance on British television when she was 12. She was awarded a gold medal upon graduation from the Guildhall School of Music in London (1960); also studied with Casals in Zermatt, Switzerland, with Tortelier at Dartington Hall and in Paris, and with Rostropovich in Moscow. After winning the Queen’s Prize (1960), she made her formal debut in a recital at London’s Wigmore Hall on March 1, 1961. She made her North American debut at N.Y/s Carnegie Hall as soloist in Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Dorati and the BBC Sym. Orch. on May 14, 1965, an appearance that electrified the audience and elicited rapturous critical reviews. On June 15, 1967, she married Daniel Barenboim in Jerusalem, with whom she subsequently performed. In 1973 she was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, at which time she abandoned her career. She later gave master classes as her health permitted. In 1976 she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and in 1979 was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the Univ. of London. The Jacqueline DuPre Research Fund was founded to assist in the fight against multiple sclerosis. Her life was the subject of a Broadway play, Duet for One (1981), and a film, Hillary and Jackie (1998).
Bibliography
W. Wordsworth, ed., /. d. P.: Impressions (N.Y., 1983; 2nd ed., 1989); C. Easton, /. d.R: A Biography (London, 1989); E. Wilson, /. D. P. (London, 1997).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire