Lilian Hochhauser CBE, FRCM

The AIA is delighted to congratulate Lilian Hochhauser on receiving a CBE in this year’s New Year’s Honours List. Lilian has been associated with the AIA for many years and has contributed to its development and growth particularly co-founding the AIA Colloquia now in their twentieth year.

As well as being involved in the AIA Lilian is on the board of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and she hosts bi-annual charity concerts in London and generally supports the Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna which offers help to children with special needs and from diverse groups in Israel to become highly accomplished musicians.

Lilian was also a trustee of Finnart House School Trust which assists disadvantaged Jewish children to fulfil their potential and is also President of the British Israel Arts Foundation.

Lilian is joint Director of the impresario firm of Victor Hochhauser.

She has been involved with classical music over many decades. Working with her husband Victor, she has presented to this country many distinguished orchestras, great artists and world class ballet dancers.

Lilian arranged the first visit to the Royal Opera House (and the West) of the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinsky Ballet) in 1961 and in 1963 the Bolshoi Ballet followed. Thus began the (almost) annual visits of both companies to the UK until the present day.

She has been closely associated with Russian artists for over 60 years, beginning in 1953 with Igor Oistrakh and in the next year, David Oistrakh and Mstislav Rostropovich. She has hosted Dmitri Shostakovich on five occasions and introduced him to Benjamin Britten on the occasion of the first performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto, with Mstislav Rostropovich.

In the UK Lilian is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music, Member of the Arts Council of England – Music Panel and on the Special Projects Committee at Sadler’s Wells.

Everyone at the AIA is thrilled for Lilian, this is a much deserved honour in recognition of her life’s work.