JOHN SIMPSON (conductor 1975-2004)

Born in London in 1929, John spent most of his early years in Falmouth, Cornwall. His father was manager of a bakery and when aged 9, John moved again to Alton in Hampshire where he lived during the war. Although John enjoyed music, having started playing the piano whilst in Cornwall, he went to Manchester University to study Geography. There then followed two years National Service and a post-graduate teaching course before he joined the Geography department at King Edward VII School, Lytham in 1952.

Although John spent a year in 1958 on a teacher exchange programme to Michigan (USA), it was his attendance at a course in Oxford in 1965 which was to change his life. The course was for those who wanted to explore different areas of teaching and it was here that he started the move into music appreciation, and it was also where he met his late wife, Mary. John retired from King Edward’s School in 1989 after 37 years service – 23 years of which were as Head of Music. John was one of the founding members of the Lytham St Annes Music Circle and also helped to set up the local Madrigal Society.

John died peacefully at home on 20^th November 2009.