John Sykes Remembered

English Composer, born India in 1909, died Bath 1962.

John Sykes conducting the Kingswood School Orchestra in 1953

John Austen Sykes was a music scholar at Clifton College (Bristol) under Douglas Fox, and gained his FRCO while still a schoolboy. In 1928 he went to Oxford as the Balliol College organ scholar. In 1932 he became a composition pupil of Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob at the Royal College of Music. In 1936 he was appointed to the staff of Kingswood School and remained there for the rest of his life. Most of his music was written either for the school or for a small group of friends.

A special website containing details of the John Sykes Project can be found by following this link:

www.jasykes.talktalk.net/

The School paid tribute to John Sykes to mark the centenary of his birth during the Scholars' Concert on 7th November 2009.  Director of Music, Mr Richard Mainwaring included three pieces of Sykes music into the concert, performed to perfection by current Kingswood Scholars and enjoyed by a number of Kingswood Association members who were in attendance.