British conductor Vernon Handley has died at his home in Monmouthshire at the age of 77.
Born in London and of Welsh parentage, Handley served in the armed forces and studied at Oxford before becoming a pupil of renowned conductor Adrian Boult. During the course of his career, he established the Guildford Philharmonic, was director of the Tonbridge Philharmonic, and was associate conductor of the London Philharmonic. He also worked with the Amsterdam Philharmonic and Ulster Orchestras and served as Conductor Emeritus of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Handley had a prolific recording career, working on more than 150 albums, 90 of which featured the work of British composers. He also received numerous awards, including a Classical Brits lifetime achievement gong, and was appointed CBE in 2004 for his services to music.
Handley had been due to conduct at the 2008 proms in July, but had to withdraw because of his health problems. The Proms' director Roger Wright told the BBC: "I was sad that Vernon Handley was not able to appear as planned in the Proms this year because of illness and his death today robs us of one of our most distinguished conductors. Vernon Handley was a wonderful musician and an extraordinary champion of British music. Audiences owe him a huge debt for his work in bringing the music of British composers of earlier generations to wider attention. His concerts and recordings of the music of Bax, Elgar and Vaughan Williams in particular were towering achievements. He will be sorely missed, not least by all those players in the BBC orchestras with whom he worked".
Last night's prom was dedicated to his memory.