Michael Hankinson OH 1957-1962
Saturday 30 October 2021
The Club has been informed of the death of Michael Hankinson on 30th October 2021 after a short illness.
Michael was educated at Hereford Cathedral and Trinity College of Music before moving to South Africa in 1970.He became resident conductor at the State Theatre in Pretoria, set up the country's largest music education project, became composer-in-residence to the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and principal conductor to the Cape Town City Ballet. He went on to compose numerous film scores, a ballet, choral works and many educational pieces before returning to the UK in 2012, when he moved to King's Lynn and became involved with the local arts scene.Michael became musical director of the King’s Lynn Male Voice Choir and founded the King’s Lynn Sinfonia, which staged its inaugural concert at Lynn Minster in 2015.He became a trustee of the Shakespeare's Guildhall Trust, a campaign group set up to champion the restoration of the 15th Century Guildhall of St George on Lynn's King Street, which is believed to be the only surviving theatre where Shakespeare performed.Credit, Eastern Daily Press