Anthony Camden (26 April 1938 – 7 March 2006) was the Principal Oboe and Chairman of the Board at the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

. He was also a founding member of the ensemble London Virtuosi and went on to become the Provost and Director of the

Queensland Conservatorium of Music Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (formerly the Queensland Conservatorium of Music) is a selective, audition based music school located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and is part of Griffith University. History The Conservatori ...

in Brisbane before becoming the Dean of Music at the

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) (Chinese: 香港演藝學院) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for pe ...

. He was affectionately known as ''the Whizzer'' in the world of classical music.

Early life

Camden was born in London to parents Archie and Joyce Camden (born Jan Kerrison) in April 1938.

Archie Camden Archie Camden (9 March 1888 – 16 February 1979) was a British bassoonist; he was a pedagogue and soloist of international acclaim. His career began in 1906 when he joined the Hallé Orchestra, where he became principal bassoonist in 1914. I ...

was a celebrated bassoonist with the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

while Joyce was a cellist, pianist and composer. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the family moved first to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and then

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

due to the orchestra being relocated. While in Bedford a young Camden fell ill twice with double pneumonia and serious attacks of asthma. The family returned to London, where Camden attended Highgate School. His initial musical instruments were the piano and violin, for which he was given instruction by

Isolde Menges Isolde Marie Menges (16 May 189313 January 1976) was an accomplished English violinist who was most active in the first part of the 20th century. Life The daughter of George Menges, a native of Germany, she was born in Sussex, England. Her ...

. At the age of 14 he gave a solo concerto debut at the Royal Academy of Music. However, because of his asthma issues he was recommend to try the oboe, in the belief that the breath control required to play the instrument would help his condition. His first tutor on oboe was Evelyn Rothwell, before he joined the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

where he came under the tutorage of

Terence MacDonagh John Alfred Terence MacDonagh (3 February 1908 – 12 September 1986) was an English Oboe, oboist and cor anglais player, particularly known as one of the four members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's so-called "Royal Family" of woodwind pla ...

. While at the RCM he joined the Camden Trio, an ensemble started by his father Archie, Rothwell and pianist Wilfred Parry, which would later feature his older brother Kerry and Ian Lake.

Musical career

After leaving the Royal College of Music, Camden became a founding member of the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra in 1960 and immediately became the Principal Oboe. In 1964 he joined as Principal Oboe the

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

, which ended in 1972 when he joined the

as Principal Oboe, a position he held of 14 years. In 1975 he was elected to Chairman of the Board of the LSO by his fellow musicians, a role he held until 1987 becoming the longest holder of the position. During a tour with LSO in the United States, Camden tried to convince André Previn, the principal conductor of the orchestra, to write a film score for a then-unknown film being made called '' Star Wars''. When Previn refused, Camden pushed him to give him the name of someone who would assist. Previn named John Williams. When Williams agreed after some persuasion, Camden immediately called

Denham Studios Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's ''Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s th ...

in England and booked 18 sessions so the LSO could record the yet written score. Some of Camden's highlights in this period include recording Carillons with the LSO in 1974, working as visiting Professor at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

and forming the London Virtuosi with fellow LSO members

John Georgiadis John Alexander Georgiadis (17 July 1939 – 5 January 2021) was a British violinist and conductor. He was twice Concert Leader with the London Symphony Orchestra during the 1960s and 70s, a member of both the ensembles London Virtuosi and the Ga ...

and

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". He established an international career as a solo flute player. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outsta ...

. In 1988 Camden left the London Symphony Orchestra and joined the

in Brisbane where he was the Provost and Director, a position he would hold until 1993. During this time he continued giving performances in Europe and Asia. In 1993 he joined the

Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) (Chinese: 香港演藝學院) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for p ...

as the Dean of the School of Music, a position he held until his retirement in 2003. During his tenure the academic standing of the institution was raised and the profile increased internationally. During the 1990s he recorded, either with London Vituosi or the City of London Sinfonia, 36 concertos largely by Italian composers. He is one of the most recorded oboists. After his retirement in 2003 he continued to be a consultant to music institutions and festivals.

Discography

* 1982 - Yehudi Menuhin, Jin Li / Anthony Camden / London Symphony Orchestra* - Bach: Violin Concerto In E; Concerto For Two Violins; Concerto For Violin And Oboe * 1993 - Albinoni - Anthony Camden, The London Virtuosi, John Georgiadis - Oboe Concerti Op. 9, Nos. 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 & 11 * 1995 - Albinoni - Anthony Camden, Alison Alty, The London Virtuosi, John Georgiadis - Oboe Concerti Vol. 2 * 1995 - Albinoni - Anthony Camden, Alison Alty, The London Virtuosi, John Georgiadis - Oboe Concerti Vol. 3 * 1996 - Handel, Anthony Camden, Julia Girdwood, City Of London Sinfonia, Nicholas Ward - Oboe Concertos Nos. 1 - 3, Air And Rondo, Suite, Overture To "Otho" * 1996 - Corelli, Bellini, Cimarosa, Fiorillo, Righini, Barbirolli, Anthony Camden, Julia Girdwood, City Of London Sinfonia, Nicholas Ward - Italian Oboe Concertos * 2001 - Salieri, Platti, Besozzi, Rosetti, Anthony Camden, City Of London Sinfonia, Nicholas Ward - Italian Oboe Concertos Vol. 2

Personal life

Camden met his first wife,, Diane Lewis while working for the

. He had two children from this marriage, Andrew and Colette. He married his second wife, Lilly Li, in 1993 and they had a daughter together called Sasha.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Camden, Anthony 1938 births 2006 deaths 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians People educated at Highgate School Alumni of the Royal College of Music London Symphony Orchestra players English classical oboists Male oboists People from London Alumni of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts