1951 – 2025
Ronald Corp lived a full life as an ordained Anglican minister who was a member of the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC), and as an accomplished musician whose achievements as a conductor and composer earned him an OBE for services to British music.
Born in Wells, Somerset, Corp’s musical gifts were soon evident and the skills he gained during his early piano lessons enabled him to notate his first compositions. Of his many notable achievements, many will remember him for founding and conducting the New London Orchestra and the highly successful New London Children’s Choir.
His substantial list of compositions often gravitated towards the voice and he formed a long-standing collaboration with the Highgate Choral Society and London Chorus. He leaves numerous recordings to testify to his conducting ability, often of neglected works such as Rutland Boughton’s opera The Queen of Cornwall, and he was due to conduct his own work Letters from Lony at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford this summer, where he had premiered his Hail and Farewell in Gloucester only two years ago.
BMS member and fellow choral conductor Ben Costello has kindly shared the photograph above and a few memories of his first meeting with Ronald Corp.
“Ron was a remarkable person, and his renowned and wide-ranging talents as composer, conductor and performer need no elucidation from me. He was also a firm friend to many, and a big supporter of young musicians at the start of their careers.
“The picture shows Ron, James Blair and me knocking back the wine (a fairly regular occurrence) following a Young Musicians’ Symphony Orchestra concert at St John’s, Smith Square in 2016.
“Ron and I first met at the Barbican over 20 years ago. The LSO were doing Mahler 3 under Lorin Maazel. I was an occasional repetiteur for the orchestra at that time and had a rehearsal of the fourth movement “O Mensch!” on the morning of the gig with the alto soloist and Maazel.
“Ron’s New London Children’s Choir were doing the “bimm bamm” movement (he’d trained them excellently). He and I met later in the day, and a firm friendship was forged. He was most encouraging to a young musician like me, still pretty wet behind the ears. Our paths crossed many times afterwards, not least as fellow Liverymen of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
“Our industry, and British music in particular, has lost a very fine musician.”
Full obituaries of Ronald Corp can be found on the Church Times website and The Guardian website.