We recently enjoyed a special evening dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of Nigel Brown OBE. Nigel was our Chairman from our inception in September 1978. Nigel loved his wine and he was always a great inspiration.
The concert at Saffron Hall was organised to honour Nigel’s remarkable contributions, his tireless work with numerous charities, and the profound impact he has had on the arts and so many lives. It featured a wonderful line-up of musicians who had all been touched by Nigel’s generosity and passion through The Stradivari Trust.
In 1985 Nigel helped to fund the acquisition of a violin for the young Nigel Kennedy. The violin in question was the ‘La Cathédrale’ Stradivari, at a cost of £370,000. Recognising that young musicians had little chance of buying their own fine instruments, Nigel developed this early success into a unique model of syndicated trusts, whose beneficiaries include Steven Isserlis, Natalie Clein, Lawrence Power and Jennifer Pike.
Nigel was involved with so many organisations. He was Director of NWBGroup, IQ Capital LLP, Anglia Ruskin University Board of Governors, University of Cambridge Audit/Finance Committee, Magpas, Cambridge Citizens Advice, Flag Fen, Greater Cambridge Partnership, Cambridge Network of which he was a co-founder, Cambridge Student Union, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Hughes Hall, Hazard Chase and very briefly Britten Sinfonia, English Touring Opera, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, The Stradivari Trust and Saffron Hall Trust and of course Thorman Hunt.
His many achievements were recognised in his winning of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion for his key role in the growth of the ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’, and in receiving an OBE in 2008. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from ARU, was High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire in
2010-11 and an Honorary member of the Royal Society of Musicians Nigel Brown’s love of violins and music started as a child and grew into a passion.
He cared passionately about music and the arts and hoped that his work with both The Stradivari Trust and Saffron Hall Trust would lead to further support. Proceeds from the event were split between the Stradivari Trust and the Saffron Hall Trust.
