NICHOLAS SNOWMAN, OBE
On 3 March we awoke to the shockingly unexpected news of the sudden death of one of our longest serving and respected Trustees, Nicholas Snowman. As Britain’s premier Arts Administrator his early recruitment to the Keyboard Trust alongside Claudio Abbado and Alfred Brendel spoke volumes for his dedication to the refreshing and support of young musical talent. Although he spent much of his energies in France with the Opéra du Rhin and a spell with Glyndebourne Opera, it is his years at the South Bank that marked out his lasting influence on the multifaceted development of the classical and experimental music calendar. With him the meaning of the word ‘Culture’ had lain in safe and loving hands.
His gifts to the Keyboard Trust were transmitted powerfully through deliberations of the Trust’s Executive Committee on which his voice often turned out to be decisive. His ability to isolate the substantive points in any discussion whilst ignoring the argumentatives proved the delight of the Chairman. He often appeared to conclude an overly lengthy discussion with a deft but overriding finality, frequently based on his own exhaustive experience.
His understanding of human nature, his insight into all aspects of the music field and
its balanced offerings, all that aided by intrinsic good humour and decency, marked the man and his relationships. An overwhelming loss that all those delightful gifts should now be only memories of exquisite good manners. It is too soon to write his epitaph, but the feeling of a world without him already seems poorer and more daunting. His surviving Family remains very much in our thoughts and prayers.
Noretta and John
