In 1965, my friend and colleague John King, who has died aged 77, co-founded with the distinguished baroque trumpeter Don Smithers the Oxford Pro Musica, a professional orchestra later renamed the City of Oxford Orchestra. His collaboration with his friend Yannis Daras, the Greek conductor, with whom he shared an encyclopedic knowledge of music, ushered in a revolutionary era in the musical life of Oxford. In its heyday the orchestra gave some 70 performances a year and attracted world class soloists such as Nigel Kennedy, Cristina Ortiz, Julian Lloyd Webber and Yannis’s friend and protege Marios Papadopoulos. The music director of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Marios said: “John was a man of great vision and humility. He leaves a significant and enduring musical legacy.” Continue reading...
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