Iona Brown | |
|---|---|
 Iona Brown playing as a violinist withNeville Marriner and theAcademy of St Martin-in-the-Fields | |
| Born | 7 January 1941 Salisbury, England |
| Died | 5 June 2004(2004-06-05) (aged 63) Salisbury, England |
| Education | Cranborne Chase School |
| Alma mater | Open University (honorary Doctor) |
| Spouse | Bjorn Arnils |
| Relatives | Timothy Brown (brother) |
Iona Brown,OBE, (7 January 1941 – 5 June 2004) was a British violinist and conductor.
Elizabeth Iona Brown was born inSalisbury and was educated atCranborne Chase School, Dorset.[1] Her parents, Antony and Fiona, were both musicians. Her brotherTimothy has been principal horn of theBBC Symphony Orchestra, her other brother Ian is a pianist and her sister Sally plays viola in theBournemouth Symphony Orchestra.[2]
From 1963 to 1966, Brown played violin in thePhilharmonia Orchestra.[3] In 1964, she joined theAcademy of St Martin in the Fields, working her way up through the ranks to become leader, solo violinist and director in 1974. She formally left the Academy in 1980, but continued to work with them for the rest of her life.
In 1981, she was appointed artistic director of theNorwegian Chamber Orchestra. KingOlav V of Norway later awarded her the accoladeKnight of First Class Order of Merit for her success with the NCO. She directed theLos Angeles Chamber Orchestra from 1987 to 1992. She was dismissed as conductor by Executive DirectorDeborah Rutter because of an inability to commit to more than six weeks per season with the orchestra due to her other posts, a decision she protested.[4] Brown ultimately returned as the orchestra's principal conductor from 1995 to 1997 following a change in the orchestra's leadership.[5] From 1985 to 1989, she was guest director of theCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. As her health declined and her arthritis progressed, she shifted her focus from the violin to conducting, ending her violin career in 1998. In her last years, she was chief conductor of the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra of Denmark.
From 1968 to 2004, Brown's principal residence was in the Wiltshire village ofBowerchalke. When she took part in theBBC Radio 4 programmeKaleidoscope, explaining how hard it was to play her signature pieceThe Lark Ascending byRalph Vaughan Williams, she said that the singing oflarks she heard during long walks on nearby Marleycombe Down influenced the way she played it.
She was made an Officer of theOrder of the British Empire in 1986,[1] and in June 2003 was made an honorary Doctor of the University by theOpen University.[citation needed]
She died of cancer in 2004 at age 63 inSalisbury. She was married twice, and was survived by her second husband, Bjorn Arnils.[6]
