Peter Ainsworth

Peter Ainsworth

In 2009, Peter Ainsworth accepted the Society’s invitation to become a Vice-President.

“I am delighted and honoured to have been asked to be a Vice-President of the Arthur Bliss Society. I have loved his music ever since, as a schoolboy, I was transfixed by a Sadler’s Wells production of Checkmate which haunts me to this day. More recently, I had the enormous pleasure of taking the part of narrator in a Charlton Kings Choral Society performance of Morning Heroes, which is surely one of the finest and moving creative works, in any art form, to have emerged from the horrors of the First World War. Bliss is one of those composers with an instantly recognisable and distinctive musical voice. I am sure that it is a voice that will continue to be heard for generations to come, and I am proud to be associated with the Society that exists to promote his work.”

From the Chairmnan
Peter Ainsworth died on 6 April 2021. Peter Ainsworth was Conservative MP for East Surrey from 1992 to 2010 and held a series of senior frontbench roles, including shadow culture secretary and shadow environment secretary. He had joined the party as a schoolboy and in the 1980s had served as a Tory councillor in Wandsworth. Before becoming an MP, he had worked as an investment analyst and banker. After leaving politics, Peter went on to become chairman of the Big Lottery Fund and to serve as chairman of trustees at the Churches Conservation Trust and the Heritage Alliance. Peter was an ardent supporter of Britiish music, a Bliss enthusiast and a long-time friend and supporter of the Arthur Bliss Society. He became a Vice-President of the Society in 2009 and his advocacy for Bliss will be sorely missed