Betty Ann Mallard

Betty Ann Parker was born to Jewel F. and Selma Roithner Parker in Pasadena, Texas, on November 6, 1941. Her undergraduate studies were done at The University of Texas at Austin, where she took her Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, in 1964. Her graduate studies were marked by a Master of Music from the University of Southern California (1968) and a Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Texas at Austin (1979).

From 1968-74 she taught piano at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; her future husband, Harry Mallard, was a member of the faculty there. They were married September 26, 1970. In 1980, the year following the completion of her doctorate, she was invited to join the piano faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, from which she retired in 2011. She served as chair of the piano division for seven years during that time.

Teaching was Betty’s consuming passion; it was also her profession. She worked carefully, with exquisite attention to every detail of technique and expression, carefully explaining the reasoning behind her instruction, and always with good humor. At the end of her second year at The University, her class saw to it that their “Friendly Bulldog” was given an excellence in teaching award by the Butler School. A similar recognition came later from the College of Fine Arts.

Betty worked closely with various local, state, and national music teachers’ associations, conducting master classes, giving lectures and lecture-recitals, and adjudicating. She spoke on a number of topics, but often on the performance of Debussy, certain aspects of which she had specialist knowledge. She was often called on for administrative tasks: she was, for example, a member, then chair, of the College Faculty Forum of the Music Teachers National Association and had similar positions with the Texas Music Teachers Association. She received awards from the local, state, and national organizations in appreciation of her service.

Though Betty continued to play solo repertoire, she always had a particular fondness for ensemble repertoire. Performances with the Austin Chamber Music Ensemble took her twice to Europe. Very early in her career at The University of Texas, she formed a duet partnership with her colleague and former teacher, David Renner. They performed together around a hundred times in this country and abroad. Their repertoire included most of the significant duet literature from Mozart forward, although they were particularly fond of the work of Schubert and Brahms.

She passed away at home on the morning of September 4, 2026. She is survived by her husband Harry, her sister Sharon Carmignani and nephew Brian Carmignani, both of Columbia, Missouri, and her extraordinary Austin family of friends. Her graveside funeral services will be private.

A memorial concert by colleagues, friends, and former students is being planned. The Betty Mallard Scholarship in Piano Performance has been established at The University of Texas; it will eventually be folded into the Betty Mallard Endowment for Piano Performance.