ARTICLES

Thomas Wilson in Conversation with Jane Smeaton   

Thomas Wilson - An Appreciation of his Work by John Maxwell Geddes (from 1980s)

Obituary Notices and Tributes

Thomas Wilson Obituary by John Maxwell Geddes from the June 19, 2001 on-line issue of The Guardian.

NEWS

Excellent new website devoted to Thomas Wilson created by his family.   Site is very informative and contains details about his music, information on the  availability of his scores and music samples.  

Wilson's St. Kentigern Suite to be performed in Sydney,  Austrailia and Cartoon to be performed in Norway. Both in March.  More details to follow as they become available. 

THE THOMAS WILSON WEB SITE

Last Modified: January 17, 2004

Thomas Wilson was born in the USA in 1927 of British parents. Shortly after, the family returned to the UK and settled in the Glasgow area. Apart from a period of three years spent in France, he has lived in Scotland ever since. Educated at St. Mary's College, Aberdeen, Wilson served in the RAF from 1945-48. He read Music at Glasgow University, and in 1957 accepted a teaching post there. In 1971 he was appointed Reader and in 1977 was given a personal Chair.

He has consistently played an active part in the musical life of Britain, holding executive and advisory positions in such organisations as The Arts Council, The New Music Group of Scotland, The Society for the Promotion of New Music, The Composers Guild of Great Britain (Chairman 1986-89), and the Scottish Society of Composers (of which he is a founder member).

Wilson's works have been played all over the world and embrace all forms - orchestral, choral-orchestral, chamber-orchestral, opera, ballet, brass band, vocal music of different kinds, and works for a wide variety of chamber ensembles and solo instruments. He has been given many important commissions - Henry Wood Proms, Scottish Opera, Glasgow 1990, Scottish Ballet, Edinburgh Festival, Cheltenham Festival, City of London Festival, Musica Nova, BBC, to name but a few.

In 1990 Thomas Wilson was awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. The following year he was created a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and Glasgow University conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Music upon him.

Thomas Wilson died on 12 June 2001 following a long illness. With his passing, British music lost one of its most important contemporary voices.

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