Musician and choir director honoured by Queen dies at 90

A MUSICIAN and conductor from Sonning Common has died at the age of 90.

Gwyn Arch MBE, who lived in Grove Road with his wife Jane, died on June 6.

He was known for his work with choirs as well as his arrangements and compositions.

Mr Arch established the Reading Male Voice Choir in 1971 and served as the choir’s musical director until 2015.

He was also musical director of the South Chiltern Choral Society for almost 50 years until stepping down in 2014.

He was born in Southampton on May 4, 1931 and was raised in Birmingham and then Ipswich. He studied English at the University of Cambridge and then attended the University of Oxford to study a postgraduate diploma in education.

He played the piano in jazz bands at both universities.

He met his wife at Oxford, where he was musical director of the Experimental Theatre Club and she was in the choir.

Two years later they were married and went on to have two sons, David, who is musical director of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, and Jonathon.

Mr Arch taught English at Rickmansworth Grammar School for nine years while also studying musical composition at Trinity College London in his spare time. In 1964, the family moved to Sonning Common and he became director of music at Bulmershe College in Woodley, remaining in the role until 1985.

During this time he arranged music for BBC Home Service’s programmes for schools and in the Seventies made several appearances as a conductor on BBC’s history programme, Seeing and Believing.

Mr Arch was made an MBE for services to music in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2006.

His funeral took place at Caversham Heights Methodist Church in Highmoor Road yesterday (Thursday). Donations were taken in his memory for Sue Ryder.

• A full obituary will be published in next week’s Henley Standard.