Judith Whitaker

Judith Whitaker was born in Lower Hutt on the 2-3-38. She was educated at Waterloo Primary School 1943-8, then Hutt Intermediate School 1949-50, and Avondale College, Auckland 1951-3. At age 8 she taught herself to read music and play piano, before beginning formal piano lessons from age 13.

From 1979-80 she studied music at theUniversity of Canterbury. from 1981-6 she was living with violinist Sydney Mann and undertook a concentrated short course of music study with him. In 1984 she started music study at the University of Otago, but discontinued due to ill health. In 1987 she shifted to Christchurch, collaborating with and writing for violinist Mark Menzies. In 1991 she obtained her own violin and began experimenting with playing it. She has composed for a range of instrumental and vocal configurations.