Eoin Hamilton

Born: 21 November, 1940, in Glasgow.

Died: 26 August, 2006, in St Andrews, aged 65.

ALL his life, Eoin Hamilton composed and made music across Scotland. He was noted early in his career for his work for the BBC as a choir conductor in many live performances on both television and radio.

Educated at the High School of Glasgow, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Guildhall School of Music in London, Hamilton began his career as a teacher at his former secondary school.

However, his talents were soon discovered and he joined the music department at the BBC. His early engagements were as a choir conductor for the station's Gaelic department and he recorded music for Gaelic services.

Hamilton was also associated with a smaller musical group, the Albion Singers, the majority of whose work was for television with most of their programmes transmitted live.

Better known as a producer, arranger and conductor, he worked with such leading Scottish artists as the singing stars Kenneth McKellar, Peter Morrison and Moira Anderson. He also undertook recording sessions as an arranger and conductor with many well-known Gaelic singers.

Hamilton arranged, directed and co-produced Scottish records for BBC Enterprises, including A Scottish Sampler and Music for Scottish Country Dancing, in association with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.

During his career, he was specially commissioned by Stirling Council to compose music for the opening of a new wing of Stirling Castle, which was unveiled by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. His music was also played at an investiture at Buckingham Palace.

Among his compositions were A Fife Fantasie, premiered at a concert organised by the National Trust for Scotland at the historic Falkland Palace; Diversions on Three Scottish Psalm Tunes, which sparked off an enthusiastic response from the Scottish Amateur Music Association and was premiered by the National Youth String Orchestra of Scotland; and the orchestral work, Antiphona-Culross, premiered to mark the 400th centenary celebrations at Culross Abbey.

Along with his wife and family, Hamilton eventually moved to Fife from the Glasgow area where he took up an appointment with the music department of Madras College, St Andrews. He remained there for a number of years until he took early retirement.

Hamilton was also a former member of the Fife Sinfonia, a former conductor of the Anstruther Philharmonic Society and one-time organist and choirmaster at Scoonie Kirk, in Leven, and organist at Upper Largo Church. He also played strings in orchestras for choral and operatic societies.

Predeceased by his wife, Olive, who was a former piano soloist and teacher of music, he is survived by four sons, one stepson and three grandchildren.