Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

An MBE "for services to music and for charitable services" has been awarded to Alan Wilkinson of King's Lynn, Honorary Music Director and Co-Founder of Music In Country Churches (see website below).

This must surely be the former CH music master of the same name (Horsham Staff 1957-80) who used to run the King's Lynn Festival. Congratulations to him, and I hope his Stradivarius is still in good shape.

http://www.musicincountrychurches.com/home

If so, he was there during my time but I have absolutely no recollection of him.

Can anyone supply a photo ?

The name certainly sounds familiar, but since I wasn't very musicy my knowledge is a bit limited.

J.R. wrote:If so, he was there during my time but I have absolutely no recollection of him.

Can anyone supply a photo ?

He really only taught the violin (maybe piano on the side), and was not much in evidence otherwise. So I don't think a photo would help. Some of his pupils made the NYO -- he must have been an outstanding teacher.

michael scuffil wrote:He really only taught the violin (maybe piano on the side), and was not much in evidence otherwise.

He was much more in evidence in the mid-to-late Seventies, when he was the original administrator of the CH Arts Centre. His wife was Olive Peto's deputy as School Librarian, and they had (at least?) two sons at the school.

I stumbled across the CH Forum while searching for a lead on Alan Wilkinson. I am amazed and delighted that he is still alive - and if you read this, Alan, congratulations and many thanks for introducing me to the violin!

I had my first lesson from Alan in 1960, but quite quickly was passed to Joan Gilman, who was an occasional teacher who came up from Lewes twice a week. Alan and his wife lived in a house on Two Mile Ash Road (I think) just outside the long mile loop, and he drove a rather distinctive French car, maybe a Peugeot or a Citroen. He was a brilliant violinist, and did indeed have a Strad, which he once asked me to guard in Big School while he left the building for a few minutes during afternoon rehearsal. As well as Andrew Porter, he taught Stuart Deeks, Sandy )(Andrew?) McDonald and John Prior. I think they all went on to study the violin in London.

Alan was one of a very energetic group of classical music teachers at that time: Malcolm McKelvey, Mr. Drummond and others. They mounted the Summer Chamber Music Festival, which at the time was a big deal for that part of Sussex - attracted a lot of outside visitors.

My reason for sourcing Alan was that I still play the violin (now in the USA), and I wondered what happened to his Strad. Maybe he still plays it!!

Paul Parker (Pre B and Col B '60 - '68)