Felix Kok (1 August 1924 – 11 August 2010), born in South Africa and resident in Britain from 1938, was a violinist, leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1965 to 1988.

Life

Kok was born in Brakpan in South Africa in 1924; his father, once a farmer, was a miner, and his mother played violin and piano. A teacher, noticing Felix's talent in playing the violin, encouraged him to have lessons in London. The family moved to Britain in 1938, and he attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School; with a scholarship, he went to the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, studying with

Rowsby Woof Edward Rowsby Woof (18 January 1883 – 31 December 1943) was an English violinist and music educator. He was born in Coalbrookdale, son of Edward Woof and his wife Sarah (née Rowsby). He became professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music (F ...

.Felix Kok obituary
'' The Guardian'', 26 September 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2018.Felix Kok
'' The Daily Telegraph'', 15 August 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2018. After graduating, he joined the

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, playing second violin. In 1947, with his brother the cellist

Alexander Kok Alexander "Bobby" Kok (14 February 1926 – 1 May 2015) was a South African-born British professional cellist. Early life Alexander Kok was born on Valentine's Day, 1926, in the mining town of Brakpan near Johannesburg in South Africa, to pare ...

, and pianist Daphne Ibbott, he formed the Beaufort Trio. He was sometimes guest leader of the

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Orchestra; the violinist

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said "We always enjoyed his leading – he led firmly and his playing had strength and truthfulness". He joined the

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, where the conductors he played under included Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer and Wilhelm Furtwängler. From 1959 he was leader of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, under conductors

Constantin Silvestri Constantin-Nicolae Silvestri (; 31 May 1913, Bucharest – 23 February 1969, London) was a Romanian conductor and composer. Early life Silvestri, born of Austro-Italian-Romanian stock, was brought up mostly by his mother, his father dying fro ...

followed by

Charles Groves Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (10 March 191520 June 1992) was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors. After accompanying positions and conducting ...

.Felix Kok
'' The Stage'', 28 September 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2018. In 1965 Kok became leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), remaining there until his retirement in 1988. During this period the conductors were

Hugo Rignold Hugo Henry Rignold (15 May 1905 – 30 May 1976) was an English conductor and violinist, who is best remembered as musical director of the Royal Ballet (1957–1960) and conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1960–1968). Aft ...

, then from 1969

Louis Frémaux Louis Joseph Félix Frémaux (13 August 1921 – 20 March 2017) was a French conductor. Life and career Frémaux was born in Aire-sur-la-Lys, France and came from an artistic background; his father was a painter, and his wife was a music teac ...

. After Frémaux's departure, Kok was on the selection committee that shortlisted

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...

as conductor; the players then voted for Rattle's appointment in 1980. In 1992, while in Portugal to set up a youth orchestra for the Gulbenkian Foundation, he slipped under a train in Oporto. His left leg was amputated and he sustained other injuries. He was able to appear a few months later as guest leader of the CBSO for a run of ten opera performances. In his last years Kok lived in an almshouse in

London Charterhouse The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Farringdon, London, dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square, and lies within the London Borough of Islington. It was originally built ( ...

. He died in 2010 aged 86, from a stroke.

Family

In 1955 he married pianist Ann Steel; they often gave musical recitals together. They had three sons, including the conductor Nicholas Kok, and a daughter who predeceased her father. Ann died in 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kok, Felix 1924 births 2010 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music 20th-century classical violinists Concertmasters People from Brakpan South African emigrants to the United Kingdom