His first association was with Norman Morris, our founder Musical Director at The Association of British Choral Directors and they became firm friends. He started writing for the choir in the early 1980s – “The Animal Alphabet”, followed by “An English Calendar”, “Three Psalms for Double Choir”, “Five Songs of Friendship” and finally “Darest Thou Now, O Soul”.
He was generous with his time, support and friendship and helped us appoint a new Musical Director after the passing of Norman. He wrote “ Few choirs can boast the consistent excellence achieved and maintained by Reading Phoenix Choir. That it continues to thrill and inspire all who listen is tribute to the boundless imagination of its conductor(Norman) and the faithful enthusiasm of its singers.” He continued to attend the occasional concert and kept in touch with members.
A talented composer and gymnast! Who will forget the cartwheels during one of the rehearsals at 70 years old!
Our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
The photo above is of Andrew conducting the choir in Reading Concert Hall on 2nd May 2009 at the first performance of "Darest Thou Now, O Soul".
