Accompanist
- By Philip Evans
- Hits: 11230
Biography of Damien Mansfield
Damien Mansfield studied piano with esteemed English pianist Lance Dossor in Adelaide
1966-1972, while a medical student, and appeared with many of the best-known
Australian musicians of his generation in chamber music concerts at the National Music
Camps of those years. While working in community child health in inner London, 1973-
81, he made time alongside for further training and experience in chamber music,
accompaniment and vocal repertoire in master classes and studios with several noted
musicians, including Sandor Vegh, Szymon Goldberg, Nathan Millstein, Arthur
Hammond and most significantly Geoffrey Parsons. Damien also worked as a repetiteur
and coach with the Else Mayer-Lismann Opera Workshop for five years, accompanying
their annual performances on London’s South Bank.
As a collaborative pianist, he appeared in several states of Australia and the USA, in
England, the Netherlands and Canada, drawing special praise from the New York Times
critic Robert Sherman for his “expressive intensity”.
Damien resumed active musical work in 2013 after 40 years of medical practice in child
health and was soon reestablished as one of Adelaide’s most sought-after musicians. In
these years he has worked and performed regularly as pianist and organist with renowned
singer Robert Dawe. He has appeared in chamber music for the Friends of the Adelaide
Symphony Orchestra, and in Victoria with the Aequales Ensemble. He is on the Council
of the Accompanists’ Guild of South Australia and has presented several programs for
them, through 5MBS broadcast, on the Art of the Collaborative Pianist.
Choir Cecilia is honoured to have Damien as their current accompanist.
