In Memoriam Neil Black OBE 1932 – 2016
(Professor of Oboe) Neil Black played oboe from the age of eleven. He had not originally intended to make music his career but took a degree in History at Oxford University. However, his experiences in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain fired his enthusiasm and within three years of leaving Oxford he was appointed principal oboist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Most of his musical life, however, was devoted to solo playing and performing with chamber orchestras and ensembles. He was principal oboist of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and, for many years, the English Chamber Orchestra. As soloist he played in many of the world’s great musical centres and festivals. Much in demand as a teacher, he was a professor at the Guildhall School and the Royal College of Music, and latterly musical director of the Kirckman Concert Society. Neil’s numerous solo recordings brought him international acclaim. Amongst them are the Bach Double Concerto with Perlman, the Strauss and VaughanWilliams concertos with Barenboim and the English Chamber Orchestra, Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi Double Concerto with Menuhin and the Polish Chamber Orchestra. He was awarded the OBE in 1989.
Audrey Coulter (née Parker)
(Speech & Drama 1955) Audrey studied acting with Dorothy Dayus at Guildhall from 1952 – 1955. While a student she played many leading roles and after leaving she worked in repertory in such places as Lancaster and Cromer. She then joined the Irish National Theatre with her future husband, David Coulter, touring in Ireland. 36
When they returned to England David joined the BBC and Audrey continued to act; however, after the birth of three sons Joseph, Julian and Bart in as many years Audrey decided to focus on her family.
ATCL for flute, DipABRSM for bassoon, LTCL for recorders, and FTCL for piano as well as the School Music Prize and having performed Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the school orchestra.
She later channelled her creativity into her garden and a passion for tapestry.
He was a wonderful colleague, full of entertaining anecdotes about the history of the School, and never daunted in adversity. His knowledge of the works of Bach and of English church music was greatly respected by staff and students alike. We are surrounded by memories of Tony in the library – we still use the old School safe that he insisted on moving to the new building, and the beautiful copperplate labels on our sheet music boxes were all Tony’s work.
Susan Ford FGS
David Coulter 1936 – 2016
(Speech & Drama 1956) David and his identical twin Edmund both studied acting at the Guildhall School, where David also met his future wife Audrey Parker. After leaving Guildhall David toured Ireland with the Irish National Theatre before deciding to focus on direction and production. He spent many years at the BBC and later ITV, working on a wide range of programmes for radio and television including To Speak with Confidence (with John Holgate) and Weekend World. David then joined forces with Susan Ford and established Coulter Ford Partners doing communication and media training in the corporate and business world. For the next 15 years he and Susan worked in the UK, Europe, and the Far East. David also examined for Guildhall, taught at ALRA and was a popular adjudicator at festivals in the UK and Hong Kong. He had a wicked sense of humour, a great love of life, was a superb cook and was an unending source of theatrical anecdotes. Susan Ford FGS
Thomas Harris 1993 – 2015
(Piano 2015) I met Tom when he came to Eton College as a Music Scholar at the age of 13 and where I taught him recorder. Two things were clear from the start; he was a thoroughly lovely person and he was an exceptional talent. He played piano, recorder, bassoon and flute all to diploma level and would leave school with an
Tony worked for the School for nearly 40 years before his retirement in 2003, and was one of the last staff members to have worked at the old School site in John Carpenter Street, where he was the sole librarian.
In 2010 Tom performed at Cadogan Hall, and was then invited to play at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. He was subsequently awarded an Apprenticeship to the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and in the same year gave a solo recital for the Concordia Foundation at St. James’ Piccadilly, returning the following year. More recently he played Beethoven’s C minor Piano Concerto in Chelsea Town Hall with the KPO, with whom he also performed Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto in June 2015. Having completed his first year reading Music at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, Tom then went directly to the third year at the Guildhall School, studying with Joan Havill. Tom loved being at the Guildhall School and his cheery presence was felt not only in the keyboard department but also within the recorder department where he’d regularly attend our classes as an encouraging and enthusiastic observer. Ian Wilson, Professor of Recorder
Anthony Perch MBE 1938 – 2016
(Librarian) We were very sad to hear of Tony’s untimely death at the age of 74.
Outside work Tony played a vital role in the smooth running of Great St Bartholomew’s Church, in Smithfield, and was an expert gardener and solar energy pioneer. His hard work on the garden of the family home in Flitwick meant that he sported an enviable year-round tan! Tony was awarded the MBE in 2004. Kate Eaton, Senior Librarian
Harry Rabinowitz MBE 1916 – 2016
(Composition 1951) Conductor and composer Harry Rabinowitz MBE has died aged 100. He passed away at his home in France on 22 June 2016. Harry is best known for his work in film and television, conducting scores including Chariots of Fire (1981), The Remains of the Day (1993), The English Patient (1996), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Cold Mountain (2003). He also composed music for television, including Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983). Born in 1916 in Johannesburg, South Africa, he came to London in 1946 to study composition at the Guildhall School. He then worked as the conductor of the BBC’s Light Revue Orchestra from 1953 to 1960, and was the original conductor for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats. He is survived by his wife Mitzi Scott;
his three children, Karen, Simon and Lisa; and four grandchildren.
Chris Todd 1943 – 2016
(Master Carpenter) Chris was born in England in 1943 and the following year sailed to Canada in a Norwegian convoy with his mother and sister. After the war the family moved to New Jersey, New York establishing his great love of baseball and American football.
Guy arranged the music for four ballets for choreographer André Prokovsky, which he conducted around the world, including the premiere of Anna Karenina with the Kirov Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. Guy met oboist Jane Aldrick at Guildhall and they were married in 1962. For more than thirty years they ran the Denne Gilkes Memorial Fund, a charity set up in 1972 to help young musicians and actors. Jane and their three sons survive him.
Chris later returned to London, where he became a Quantity Surveyor and worked in gas conversion. After marrying Maretta, he moved to Wales to work at the Torch Theatre, lovingly creating intricate sets for shows. Following the birth of his sons Dylan and Ben he moved back to London to become the Master Carpenter and Lecturer at Guildhall. He quickly established a rapport with students as a teacher, adviser and friend, his Daoist ideals setting his lifestyle. He was a strong influence in the development of the Stage Management course. After his marriage to Tay in 1992 he was proud to be a father again to Poppy, Jasmine and Maia. At 70 he was overjoyed at becoming a grandfather to Finn and loved spending time with him being silly. He will be remembered for his humour, insight, friendship, hand rolled cigarettes and his favourite word, “peachy”. Peter Johnson-Booth FGS
NOTICES Annie Castledine 1939 – 2016
(Visiting director) Guy Woolfenden OBE 1937 – 2016
Susan Mallinson, née Colledge 1942 – 2016
(Horn, Conducting 1960)
(Voice 1963)
Composer and conductor Guy Woolfenden has died at the age of 78. Guy was educated at Westminster Abbey Choir School, Whitgift School and read music at Christ’s College, Cambridge, before studying horn and conducting at the Guildhall School. Best known for his work as Head of Music and Resident Composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company (a position he held for 37 years), he composed scores for every Shakespeare play, with a total of 150 scores in his time there.
Lisette Wesseling 1971 – 2016
(Early Music Voice 1977) Kit Wynn Parry 1924 – 2015
(Consultant) Maxwell Sainsbury d. 2016
(Supporter)
37