Obituary:

Dr Marilyn Meier-Kapavale (48) the noted international concert pianist has died in Australia early this morning after battling a rare form of liver cancer.

Born in Camden, NSW, in 1964, Marilyn was one of two daughters of Oakdale apple-grower Hermann Meier and his Tongan wife the late 'Alisi Uimui-ki-Ha'ano Heimuli.

A child prodigy who grew up to be recognized as a gifted interpreter of the piano, Marilyn will be best remembered by Tongans for the remarkable classical concerts that she brought here during the 1990s and for the musical inspiration she offered to young Tongans.

During her career she has played not only a diverse work of European masters but also the work of the Tongan composers Queen Salote Tupou III and Tu'imala Kaho.

In 1990 when she was 26, Marilyn raised AUD$15,000 to bring a classical music tour with 20 young musicians to Tonga.

In 1992 she returned with a 65 member SBS Television Youth Orchestra and conductor Matthew Krel for a royal performance and a two hour concert at Atele Stadium that raised funds for the Tonga Red Cross, and also made performances for schools.

Most remarkably in 1996 Marilyn was inspirational in bringing together 300 voices of five village choirs to perform in a Royal Music Recital in Honour of the 78^th Birthday celebrations of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV at the Free Wesleyan Church of Forgiveness in Haveluloto. Noble Fielakepa had translated into Tongan the last movement of Beethoven's Choral Symphony, which was brilliantly played by Marilyn on grand piano. Marilyn was exhilarated by the incredible performance of the combined choirs and expressed a wish to do it again with a symphony orchestra.

King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV awarded her the Silver Jubilee Medal for services to music in Tonga.

Gifted

Marilyn's success as an international concert pianist came not only from the gift she was born with but was the fruit of her own dedication and a lifetime commitment by her supportive family. Her parents recognized her natural talent at the age of four and encouraged her to have music lessons.

In her early teens Marilyn won an Australian young achievers award. Her talent was spotted by the eminent Professor Bela Siki and at 15 she went to the United States to study with him at the University of Washington, Seattle, and then at the College-Conservatory at the University of Cincinnati, where her classmates who were 10 years older remembered her as being a very special musician.

By the age of 19 Marilyn had attained her Bachelor of Music (Hons) and a Graduate Artist Diploma. Later she studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, for a performance diploma awarded in 1988.

She completed her Doctoral studies in creative arts at the University of Wollongong in Australia, where she was a guest lecturer in music performance.

In her early career she performed with symphony orchestras and won many musical prizes and awards in the USA and in Australia. Notable appearances have been as soloist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, ABC Symphony Orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Queensland Orchestra and in recital and chamber music in Australia, Japan, Europe, USA and the South Pacific.

Marilyn has recorded three albums titled 'Just Chopin', 'Liszt Legends' and 'Country Gardens'. The cover of her recording of Liszt Legends shows a grand piano standing on the beach at Fafa Island, Tonga, where she played after shipping the grand piano over on a raft with the help of the Tonga Defence Services musicians, during the making of a documentary by Juniper Films.

She later taught at the University of Southern Queensland at Toowoomba becoming the Head of Keyboard in 2007 until she resigned her position recently while undergoing chemotherapy.

Marilyn is survived by her three young children Marie-Luise, Grace and Beni Kapavale of Oakdale, NSW, Australia.  

The funeral will be held at the Camden Uniting Church, NSW, on Tuesday July 3 at 10:00am.

- MLF.