Donated By: Diane Smith, Palo Alto, California
First Presented: 1993
Criteria: Best or Most Promising Pianist - Later Stages Level

Former Director of Competitions, Grace Severt, recalled that Miriam Russell Smith brought her piano students to Stratford from Toronto in the 1950s and 1960s because she was so in love with Stratford and its Music Festival. She wanted her students to experience it. She also brought her granddaughter, Diane Miriam Smith, who competed in the piano classes. She won a golden ring for piano in 1944 at the age of 4.
Diane now teaches piano in Palo Alto, California and continues to be an ardent supporter of the Stratford Music Festival. She has brought many groups of students to compete and has donated cash awards for promising pianists. In 1993, she donated the Miriam Russell Smith Trophy in memory of her grandmother.