Kotlyar Frida

About

Frida Kotlyar was born in Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, into a family of Soviet Jews, during the Cold War, when Moldova was part of the USSR. Orphaned at the age of four, after her mother died of heart complications caused by typhus, Frida was raised by her father and stepmother, who provided her with a happy childhood and unconditional support in her musical studies. A graduate of the Chisinau Conservatory of Music (Moldova State University), where she obtained a degree in music and piano, she married in her late teens and moved to Moscow. Later, facing discrimination against Jews in accessing universities, she decided to emigrate in 1981 with her husband and two sons, choosing Australia over Israel. Upon arriving in Sydney, Frida Kotlyar continued to build her career in the musical field, becoming a freelance teacher of piano, music theory, music history, and music appreciation. She taught for 36 years at SCECGS Redlands, as well as at a ballet school and a private Anglican school, where she worked for 29 years, bringing with her a cherished German upright piano, a symbol of the opportunities offered by music. Over the years, her passion extended to the world of Argentinian tango, becoming a professional DJ since 2009, DJ coordinator, and president of TangoSynergy since 2019, organizing weekly and annual tango events in Sydney, thus combining traditional music education with contemporary artistic expression. Frida Kotlyar's personal life reflects the sacrifices of a migrant mother dedicated to her children's future: her sons, Eugene and Jacob, have thrived in Australia – Eugene being an Associate Professor in Cardiology at the University of New South Wales and a physician at St Vincent's Hospital, and Jacob an IT administrator at a company in New York. Later remarried, Frida proudly looks back at the fulfillment of her dream to give her family a "ticket to life" in a country with clear skies and equal opportunities, with music and tango remaining the anchors of a life full of joy and creativity.