Beloved Australian classical musician Donald Hazelwood has died at the age of 95.
Tributes have flown in for the long serving Sydney Symphony Orchestra concertmaster as news of his death, broke this week.
The orchestra shared a heartfelt tribute to Donald to Instagram on Monday, remembering him as one of Australia’s ‘best known and most respected musicians’.
‘All of us at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra are enormously saddened by the death of our former Concertmaster, Donald Leslie Grant Hazelwood AO OBE, on Saturday 8 March 2025,’ the expansive post began.
‘A wonderful musician, colleague and friend, Don was Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for 33 years from 1965 until his retirement in 1998, an extraordinary career that assures his place among Australia’s best-known and most respected musicians.
Continuing, the post recalled the musician’s long and storied career, that saw him first playing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra back in 1952.
Beloved Australian classical musician Donald Hazelwood has died at the age of 95
‘In 1965 he was appointed co-concertmaster alongside Robert Miller, becoming sole concertmaster shortly after Miller’s retirement in 1967,’ the tribute continued.
‘For 20 years he held this post on his own until the arrival of Dene Olding in 1987, with whom Don shared the role until his own retirement in 1997.’
The post was rounded out by offering heartfelt condolences to Don’s family.
‘We extend our deepest condolences to the Hazelwood family, and especially to our former colleague and dear friend Jane, a long-serving and much-loved member of the Orchestra’s viola section (1995–2024),’ the post read.
The post was met with condolences from friends and followers, with one summing up the sentiment with: ‘A wonderful man and fine musician…sadly missed Don.’
Upon his retirement, the Sydney Morning Herald paid tribute to the beloved musician, as having left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.
‘…a musician whose outstanding musicianship, diplomatic finesse and modest personal demeanour have made one of the most significant contributions to Sydney music in the last four decades,’ music critic Fred Blanks wrote at the time.
Similarly, the SSO chief conductor at the time Edo de Waart praised Don as an ‘icon.’
Tributes have flown in for the long serving Sydney Symphony Orchestra concertmaster
‘A wonderful musician, colleague and friend, Don was Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for 33 years from 1965 until his retirement in 1998, an extraordinary career that assures his place among Australia’s best-known and most respected musicians,’ the tribute read
‘Don Hazelwood is an icon of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and his retirement will mark the end of an era,’ Edo wrote.
‘He is a first-class musician who is highly respected by all of his colleagues and the conductors who have had the privilege of working with him.
In an even more expansive tribute on its website, the SSO added that Don had guided the Orchestra through some of its biggest highs and lows.
‘In this role Don guided the orchestra through triumphs (including the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, and numerous international tours) and hardship, most notably the death of Chief Conductor Stuart Challender in 1991,’ the tribute read.
‘Diplomatic and gentlemanly in his interactions with colleagues, conductors and visiting guest musicians, Donald was able to manage positive and professional relationships with hundreds of people over the years. ‘
Named after Australian cricket legend Don Bradman, Don was born in Urana in the NSW Riverina region.
After showing prodigious talent on the violin, which he picked up at age 4, Don was awarded a partial scholarship to Albury Grammar School where he further hone his musical talent.
In an even more expansive tribute on its website, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra added that Don had guided the Orchestra through some of its biggest highs and lows.
Aside from his work with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Don also performed for many years with The Austral Quartet, Australian Trio and the Hazelwood Trio.
He was also an avid supported of music education programs, with he and wife Anne taking on the role of tutors at SSO national music camps around the country.
Don was also president of the Sydney Symphony Benevolent Fund for 23 years – a retirement fund and financial assistance program that was established in 1947.
Funds were raised primarily through an annual benefit concert which Don organised each year as well as playing in all but two concerts from 1952 to 1995.
Don’s services to music were recognised with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1976.
He was also made an Officer of the Order Of Australia (AO) in 1988.
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