TOM HAMMOND MEMORIAL CONCERT
30th SEPTEMBER 2022, ST GEORGE’S CHURCH, HANOVER SQUARE, LONDON W1
A special concert in memory of conductor, Artistic Director and producer Tom Hammond, who died suddenly just after Christmas 2021 at the age of 47, will be held on 30th September at St George’s church, Hanover Square. London W1.
Organised by a group of Tom’s close friends and colleagues, the concert will feature music by Tom’s favourite composer, Jean Sibelius, as well as works by Mozart and Nielsen, and pieces by Bernard Hughes, James Francis Brown and Matthew Taylor, three living composers who Tom championed most energetically throughout his life.
The concert is conducted by Matthew Taylor, with soloist Poppy Beddoe (clarinet).
Conductor, soloist, orchestral players and publicist are all offering their services free of charge, and proceeds from the concert will be donated to Future Talent and London Music Fund, two charities which support young musicians, especially those with limited financial means, to reach their full potential – a mission very close to Tom’s heart.
Tickets cost £10-£30 and can be booked via this link www.ticketsource.co.uk/thmemorial
A passionate and thoroughly engaging conductor, Tom Hammond always put *people* first – the musicians he was leading, the audience to whom they were performing, or the composer whose notes they were illuminating. He was a champion for increasing access to music for people from all walks of life, firmly believing in its power as a tool for social change, community spirit, and pure enjoyment.
Despite claiming he ‘couldn’t play it’, Tom would spend hours dissecting each score at the piano, whilst delving into published letters, biographies and anecdotes to find out what made a composer tick so that he could convey that understanding to others. Amongst his orchestras are now many converts to the same composers Tom loved.
Tom’s conducting took him around the UK and internationally. On several occasions he was proud to lead the Palestine Youth Orchestra, with whom he visited Jordan, Dubai and Oman. One of the world’s true driving forces, Tom also founded the chamber ensemble sound collective, the Hertfordshire Festival of Music as Co-Artistic Director, and the recording company Chiaro as a producer.
Alongside seemingly endless energy and a zest for life, Tom’s encouragement for all music-makers leaves thousands of people with awakened curiosity and so many wonderful memories.
This will be a delightful concert. Tom was a lovely man, and his early and unexpected death was tragic. Do go, if you can get there. I am extremely sorry that my current wounded and unstable right knee won’t let me undertake the journey to London and back. The concert is in a good cause, and for those who are unable to go, a donation can be sent. My last conversation with Tom was on the subject of Sibelius’s music for The Tempest, of which I am a great fan, and Tom was a thorough-going expert, knowing much more than me. It was shortly after this that I heard the terrible news of his sudden death.