Havelock Nelson dies in Belfast

The conductor, composer and pianist, Dr Havelock Nelson, has died in Belfast.

The conductor, composer and pianist, Dr Havelock Nelson, has died in Belfast.

Dr Nelson, who was born in Cork in 1917, studied at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He was one of the founders of the amateur Dublin Orchestral Players in 1939.

He joined the BBC in Belfast in 1947 as staff accompanist and in his adopted home he founded another amateur orchestra, the Studio Symphony Orchestra, and, in 1950, the Studio Opera Group.

He was awarded an OBE in 1966 for his services to music, An honorary degree of Doctor of Music was conferred upon him in 1977 by Queen's University, Belfast, and an honorary fellowship conferred upon him by the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 1985.