Everyone at sound was very sad to hear of the passing of Derek Ogston at the weekend after a short illness.
Derek, along with his cousin Margaret Carlaw, has been a dedicated supporter of music in the north east of Scotland for many years, often focussing on the development of young musicians, whether it be for the annual Go Compose! programme or specific projects such as Joe Stollery’s operas for schoolchildren, opera being something that was particularly close to Derek’s heart.
Even during lockdown last year, Derek helped to support the Lockdown Composing project for emerging composers. He also supported larger performances at sound, most notably a commission for Paul Mealor for the National Youth Choir of Scotland and a recent recital by oboist Nichol Daniels.
Always curious and wanting to learn more about new music, we’ll miss Derek in the audiences at soundfestival events and the music community in the north east will always be grateful for his support over many years.
