Rosemary Rapaport

Rosemary Rapaport (29 March 1918 in St Albans – 8 June 2011 in Olney) was a violinist and music teacher who founded the Purcell School for musically gifted children.

Nancy Rosemary Peace Rapaport was born into a Rabbinic family. She was the youngest of four daughters who all showed artistic talent. Although handicapped as a child by a double mastoid infection, she took up the violin at the age of eight. She also had lessons in piano and ballet. She was home educated until the age of 12, after which she attended the North London Collegiate College and Bedford High School. In 1937 she was awarded an Associated Board scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, winning two medals for her violin playing. Her teachers included Rowsby Woof and Frederick Grinke.

In 1941 she left the Royal Academy and joined the Halle Orchestra. While in Manchester she married Gerard Heller, an insurance dealer who was an amateur pianist. They later moved to Leeds where she formed a duo with Fanny Waterman with whom she gave recitals in schools under the auspices of the local education authority.

After World War II she and her husband moved to London where she formed a partnership with the Viennese pianist Else Cross that lasted for over 25 years. Their concerts included recitals in the Wigmore Hall. Their programmes included rarely heard classical works as well as the standard repertoire.

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