Queens Hall Offficially Renamed Winifred Atwell Auditorium

About Winifred Atwell

As a young woman Atwell worked in her father’s chemist shop, and he insisted that she took a degree in pharmacy. However, in her spare time she entertained friends and continued to take part in charity concerts.

After performing in Trinidad’s Services Club during World War II, Atwell went to New York to study piano technique with the celebrated classical pianist Alexander Borovsky. In 1946 she went to Britain, determined to become a concert pianist, and studied at the Royal Academy of Music. She supported herself by working in the evenings playing the piano in dance halls and clubs.

Atwell’s breakthrough came in 1948 at a charity concert at the London Casino. There, she captivated the audience with her ragtime music and took several curtain calls. In 1951 she signed a contract with Decca, and in 1952 she appeared in the first Royal Variety Performance for the new queen, Elizabeth II. Atwell closed her act with Britannia Rag, a number she had composed specially for the occasion, and which reached Number Five in the pop charts.

By 1954, she become the first recording-artist from Britain to have three hits selling a million records: Black and White Rag (1952), Let’s Have a Party (1953), and Let’s Have Another Party (1954). Between 1952 and 1960 she had no fewer than 11 top ten hits and at the end of the 20th century she was recognised as the most successful female instrumentalist ever to have featured in the British pop charts.

Despite her success with ragtime music, she never lost sight of her initial desire to become a concert pianist. In 1954, her recording of the 18th variation from Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini reached Number Nine in the pop charts.
On November 28 of that year, Atwell packed the Royal Albert Hall as a soloist, accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, playing Grieg’s piano concerto and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Atwell died in Sydney on February 27, 1983.
(Information courtesy Queen's Hall)

Winifred Atwell's relatives welcome Queen's Hall honour: It's been a long time coming

GOVERNMENT’S approval of the auditorium of Queen’s Hall being named after pianist Winifred Atwell has been met with pride by relatives, who believe that given Atwell’s contribution to the musical landscape, this should have happened sooner.

The naming ceremony will take place at Queen’s Hall in St Ann’s on September 23, followed by a concert, Ivory and Steel, that will feature classical music from Atwell’s album of the same name, with a Trini flavour.

“I think it's wonderful that she is being recognised in this way,” Atwell’s cousin Helen Atwell-Koo told Newsday in a phone interview.

“She has put Trinidad and Tobago on the map in so many positive ways. It's good when we can appreciate our talent and start recognising our icons and sons and daughters of the soil.
"I was a child when Winnie would visit, and I remember Grandpa throwing parties for her at his home in Jubilee Street, Tunapuna. We were always in such awe because she was so fancy. I remember her dancing with Grandpa.”

Nicole Charles, who lives in the UK, told Newsday, “Winnie was my late grandmother's (Emelda Atwell) sister.

"Her being honoured like this has been a long time coming. Winnie's music is adored by Australians,” so much so that Australian piano teacher and psychologist Harold Hanlon started an online fan page over 12 years ago. It features all Atwell's music.

"I met her when I was 23," Hanlon told Newsday in a phone interview. "She was deciding to return to Trinidad after her husband died...

"I wrote to her and asked to meet her before she left and she invited me and my parents to her home and allowed me play her grand piano in her presence.

"Then she asked me to play some classical pieces and gave me an autographed photo of herself.

"I had my camera with me to take photo of her, but I was so star-struck that I wasn't even able to ask her if I could."

Hanlon said his parents were big fans of Atwell and his mother was overwhelmed because there were not many celebrities who would invite fans to their homes.

"My parents told me about one of her concerts they attended and there were encores after encores."

He said it was not until he watched an episode of a TV show called This is Your Life in which Atwell was featured that he understood why his parents were so hooked on Atwell's playing.

"She was talking about her life and I was caught. Then I got why my parents loved her so much...

"I still can't believe that I was invited to her home and played her piano. She was such a genuinely nice person."

Atwell was born in 1915 in Tunapuna and had her first formal piano lesson when she was two and a half years old. She started playing when she was four and at eight she became the official organist at the St Charles RC Church.

She eventually left TT for better opportunities and made a musical name for herself in the Europe and Australia.

General manager of Queen’s Hall Garfield George said since the announcement, his phone has been "blowing up" with messages and calls lauding Queen’s Hall for the decision.

“I have been receiving a lot of calls, e-mails, WhatsApp messages from people locally, regionally and internationally saying it's inspirational and they want us to do more of this. It means a lot to the art fraternity and I hope it will inspire the wider society.”

He said it is ironic that the management team had been planning the Ivory and Steel concert before government took a decision to honour Atwell in this special way.

“The Government, on August 22, decided to name the auditorium after Winifred Atwell; we weren't even thinking about that when we were planning the concert…
"She had produced a show of the same name in 1969 at Queen’s Hall together with the Pan Am North Jet Stars, and her album Ivory and Steel was produced right here at Queen’s Hall.”

George said coming out of the covid19 pandemic, from 2022 Queen’s Hall started hosting a programme called Together, on September 23.

“The whole idea at that time was to celebrate the coming back of our patrons and producers after the pandemic and doing something they hadn't done in a while…In 2023, we decided to have an event called Ivory and Steel; the idea came out of us wanting to utilise the four pianos we have – a Bösendorfer grand piano, a Stein piano and two upright pianos.”

The idea, he said, was to put on a show marrying the music of the pianos and the steelpan.

“At the time we didn't realise we needed so much time to practise, so we decided to plan it for 2024,” which coincided with the decision to honour Atwell.

“It is a really important time, not only for Queen's Hall, but for the entire nation to have some sort of inspiration, with all that is happening in society.”

He said Atwell’s accomplishments, especially at the time she would have achieved her feat, is something to be celebrated.

He said a cabinet note requesting the tribute was sent to Cabinet via the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts.

“We felt that it was only fitting that someone of her stature, who would have made a number of significant achievements at home and abroad, should be honoured.

“In 1969 she received the Hummingbird Gold medal for her contribution to world music, and what she achieved later as a woman, a black woman, a Caribbean woman, was a lot to achieve in the UK at the time she did…in a place that was very colonial…

"Her roots always remained with her.”

While Atwell’s name remains well known in the UK, George said it is unfortunate that not many people in TT know of her.

“We seldom recognise our unsung hero, of which she is one, so we find that our young people, unless they study the arts or are part of music festival and her name comes up and they are paying attention, they will hardly know who she is. Even the average Trinbagonian does not know about her.”

He said the Queen’s Hall board sought family consent before moving forward with the tribute.

“We knew she didn't have any kids, so we spoke to different producers and we were fortunate that some people put us on to both maternal and paternal relatives, who are going to be here at the opening just to say something about their experiences with Winnie.

“They are very proud of her achievements.”

He said this year's Together programme began on September 20, with a partnership between Queen’s Hall and the Japanese embassy featuring a showcase of Japanese culture and followed by a series of events leading up to the Ivory and Steel concert.

“The concert will feature Chantal Esdelle (pianist and educator), Sean Sutherland (classical pianist) from Canada, and Alan Cooper. Following that, outside the hall there will be some local surprises. So it will be classical inside and a little boogie-woogie outside.”

Esdelle told Newsday although she was not influenced by Atwell’s style in the technical sense of the word, she and Atwell are intrinsically connected.

“Winifred Atwell is from Tunapuna, and I grew up in Tunapuna. Her house in St Augustine, Win Villa, when she died, it was occupied by Pan Pipers Music School, which was run by Louise McIntosh, who was also from Tunapuna. I went to that music school while it was in that house, so we are connected in that way.”

Esdelle described Atwell as a phenomenal pianist with a flawless technique.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is appealing to citizens to acknowledge their accomplishments rather than their failures.

The Prime Minister made the comment on Monday evening at a ceremony for the renaming of Queen’s Hall Auditorium to the Winifred Atwell Auditorium.

Rowley, hailed the endearing spirit of Atwell whose love for music broke barriers and placed T&T on the map.

“Today, on this anniversary of our Republican status, this country can do no less than to rediscover a woman of class who recognised us and took us to the highest highs before we knew ourselves,” he said.

Winifred Atwell was born in 1915 and raised in Tunapuna. At an early age, she began playing the piano and at just age 8 she became the official organist at the St Charles Roman Catholic Church in Tunapuna. Atwell eventually travelled to New York to study piano technique and moved to Britain in 1946 with the dream of becoming a concert pianist.

In 1951 she signed a contract with Decca and in 1952 she appeared in the first Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II. Atwell enjoyed great popularity in Britain and Australia with a series of boogie-woogie and rag-time hits, selling over 20 million records.

The Prime Minister noted that renaming the auditorium immortalised Atwell, who he said was a hero during a period when people believed there was little to celebrate.

“I took the opportunity to appeal to the country to spend a little more time acknowledging what we actually achieve and spend a little less time beating ourselves down. Acknowledging what we have done is a good way to drive us to do more,” he urged.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell said the move was a step towards preserving the country’s history and cultural identity and was a tribute to Atwell’s inspiring journey.

“Winifred erased barriers with grace. She was more than a world famous performer but a trailblazer,” Mitchell said.

Grammy Award-winning British singer, songwriter and pianist Sir Elton John also recognised Atwell’s role in shaping his career and musical journey. In a video tribute John said he had been fascinated by Atwell whom he considered his idol.

“She gave me the momentum to become who I am. Congratulations to the Republic of T&T on renaming the Queen’s Hall Auditorium to the Winifred Atwell Auditorium, well deserved,” Sir Elton said.

Known as the Grand Dame of the Performing Arts, Queen’s Hall has been a venue for musicians for six decades.

The auditorium bearing Atwell’s name is expected to pay homage to her artistry and celebration of national heritage.

Atwell died in Sydney, Australia on February 28, 1983.

Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist Elton John has congratulated TT for renaming Queen's Hall Auditorium to honour a Trini-born pianist whom he credits as his first idol.

In a video message played at the renaming ceremony on September 23, John said: "Winifred Atwell...gave me the momentum to become who I am. Congratulations to the Republic of TT on renaming the Queen's Hall Auditorium to the Winifred Atwell Auditorium. Well deserved and thank you so much."

John said his family bought a lot of Atwell's albums when he was a little boy learning to play the piano.

"The turning point for me with Winifred Atwell was seeing her on television. Seeing how beautiful she was, her smile, the way she played the piano.

"She could do classical things, she could do great boogie-woogie stuff...I was entranced by her. She fascinated me and I fell in love with her. I fell in love with her kindness. She had an aura of kindness and talent and her smile- I copied that smile."

"I idolised her. She was literally my first idol as a piano player and it's never left me really. She's always in my heart."

John has never been one to hide the instrumental (no pun intended) role Atwell had on him and his regard for her. It was even included in his 2019 autobiography, Me.

In it, he described her as: "a big, immensely jolly Trinidadian lady who performed onstage with two pianos."

"I loved her sense of glee, the slightly camp way she would announce, ‘And now, I’m going to my other piano’; the way she would lean back and look at the audience with a huge grin on her face while she was playing, like she was having the best time in the world," he said.

In his video message, John added he was able to meet her at an airport after he had made it big in show biz.

"She came over to me and we both gave each other the biggest hug and she bought me a Koala bear which I thought was so sweet. So I did meet my idol."

The name change was approved by the government on August 22. Atwell was born in 1915 and raised in Tunapuna. She moved to New York after World War II and then to England in 1946. She was highly popular in Britain and Australia from the 1950s with a series of boogie-woogie and ragtime hits, selling over 20 million records.

She was the first black artist to have a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart and as of 2023, was the only female instrumentalist to do so. In 1969, she was awarded the Hummingbird Gold medal for her contribution to world music.