British pianist Valerie Tryon was born in Portsmouth, England, and she began studying music in childhood. She went on tour with the Northern Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at age nine, and by 12 she had performed for BBC broadcasts. She entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1950, and studied piano with Eric Grant. Tryon continued her studies with Jacques Février in Paris from 1955 to 1956. She won a prize at the 1956 Liszt Competition in Budapest, and her 1959 recital at the Cheltenham Festival brought her critical praise. Tryon has performed as a recitalist in Great Britain, Europe, the United States, Canada, and South Africa, and she has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras. In 1971 she moved to Canada, and in 1976 she was hired as an associate professor of music at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, becoming artist-in-residence in 1980 and a naturalized citizen in 1986. She has recorded for many labels, including Naxos, Somm, CBC Records, and Marquis Classics.