Myrtle Meggy

Meggy's parents were Percy Robert Meggy and Myrtle Boone. First lessons she received from her father at the age of four. When she was nine she began studying with Sydney Moss in Sydney. Under him she gave her first recital at the age of 12. This lasted until 1902, when an influential committee was formed to send her to London in order to study with Mathilde Verne.

Her first public performance was at the Aeolian Hall in 1905. She soon gave recitals there and at Bechstein Hall. Later she participated in the Proms at Queen's Hall under Sir Henry Wood.

Meggy toured the English provinces with Alice Verlet, but also gave concerts in Canada (1906) and Newfoundland. She made an extensive tour (1907) with Emma Albani through Australia, India, New Zealand, Tasmania and Ceylon. After that she returned to London to give annual recitals, play with the Queen Hall's orchestra under Sir Henry Wood. She also appeared at all important orchestral concertos in the provinces.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor dedicated to her his valse-suite for piano Three-fours, Op. 71 (1909).

In 1917 because of the war troubles she had to return to Sydney. She soon received from Henri Verbrugghen an invitation to teach at the New South Wales Conservatorium.

In summer 1918 she gave the first performance of the complete cycle of Beethoven and Mendelssohn cello sonatas in Sydney with James Messeas.

In May 1920 she participated in the Beethoven Festival organized by the Conservatorium being one of the four pianists to perform piano concertos (along with Laurence Godfrey Smith, Frank Hutchens and Henry Penn). She performed the Fourth on May 12 (with Saint-Saëns' cadenzas).

Among her pupils was Marie van Hove.