Conductor Kenneth Alwyn dies aged 95
- Published
Alwyn was the musical director on many West End musicals
Kenneth Alwyn, the celebrated conductor and composer who appeared on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night for 30 years, has died at the age of 95.
A fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, he conducted for the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic.
Born in Croydon in 1925, his on-stage collaborators included comedians Bob Monkhouse and Dudley Moore.
Tributes have been paid on social media to the "multi-faceted" conductor.
"All his work was infused with skill, wit and infectious enthusiasm," wrote Gavin Sutherland, external, music director at English National Ballet.
The Birmingham Royal Ballet said, external it was "sad to learn" about the death of one of its former conductors.
Alwyn worked on the premieres of numerous West End musicals, among them Camelot and Half a Sixpence.
He also authored two volumes of memoirs: A Baton in the Ballet and Other Places (2015) and Is Anyone Watching? (2017).
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