Lionel Albert Jack "John" Bishop (26 October 190314 December 1964) was an Australian academic, conductor and patron of the arts. Bishop played a leading role in the development of

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

in Australia and was a founder of the

Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

Life and career

Bishop was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and studied piano from the age of 12 under the tuition of the distinguished Adelaide teacher William Silver. In 1919, he won the Alexander Clark Scholarship to the

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...

, and in 1923, he won the South Australian Elder Scholarship to the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. There, Bishop studied conducting in addition to furthering his piano studies with

Herbert Fryer George Herbert Fryer (21 May 1877 – 7 February 1957) was an English pianist, teacher and composer. Career Fryer was born in Hampstead, London in 1877, the only son of three children. His father George Henry Fryer was an insurance broker. He wa ...

. His first appointment as a conductor came in 1928 for the Royal Wellington Choral Union and Wellington Philharmonic Orchestra in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He returned to Australia in 1936 to take up a position as Director of Music at Scotch College in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. From 1940 to 1947 he was conductor of the Melbourne University Conservatorium Orchestra. His involvement with music in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

led him to become the first president of the Victorian School Music Association. From 1948, with the co-operation of fellow music teacher, Ruth Alexander, he organized summer music camps for young musicians. In 1954, he founded the

National Music Camp Association The Australian Youth Orchestra (''AYO''), formerly Youth Music Australia, is an Australian organisation for young musicians. History The Australian Youth Orchestra has its origins in the music camps founded by John Bishop and Ruth Alexander i ...

and was subsequently responsible for the establishment of the

Australian Youth Orchestra The Australian Youth Orchestra (''AYO''), formerly Youth Music Australia, is an Australian organisation for young musicians. History The Australian Youth Orchestra has its origins in the summer camp, music camps founded by John Bishop (academi ...

in 1957. In 1948, Bishop became a professor of music at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, where he reformed the curriculum and faculty and set up a visiting lectureship program. He formed a partnership with Sir Llyod Dumas in the late 1950s to help found a major arts event in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. He was instrumental in the establishment of the

and became its inaugural arts director in 1960. Bishop continued in this position until his death. His involvement in the arts also included his positions as chairman of the UNESCO Committee for Music and as federal president of the Arts Council of Australia. He died suddenly in the foyer of

Australia House The High Commission of Australia in London is the diplomatic mission of Australia in the United Kingdom. It is located in Australia House, a Grade II listed building. It was Australia's first diplomatic mission and is the longest continuously ...

in London, of hypertensive

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

, on 14 December 1964, aged 61.

Honours

He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in 1953.

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References

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Life and career

Honours

Notes

References

Further reading