Obituary: Richard Chester, musician and administrator who championed the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland

Richard Chester, music administrator. Born: 19 April, 1943 in Yorkshire. Died: 28 June, 2020 in Glasgow, aged 77.

Richard Chester has died at the age of 77 (Picture: John Devlin)

In 1987, Richard Chester stepped down from a successful 20-year career as flautist (latterly principal flautist) with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to become administrator, then chief executive, of the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland.

In physical terms, the shift was not so far removed as it might seem. In those days, the relatively fledgling youth initiative was based in the same address as the RSNO in Glasgow’s La Belle Place. Under Chester, however, an epic journey for NYOS was set to begin.

Within a matter of years, what had been a singular organisation – a traditional-style symphony orchestra – was to become a progressive empire of ensembles, stretching up from the National Children’s and Training Orchestras at entry level to the highly aspiring NYOS Camerata and NYOS Futures, both of which formed useful launchpads for senior instrumentalists who were on the cusp of entering the profession. Chester even saw wisdom in establishing a NYOS Jazz Orchestra to fill yet another critical gap in national performance provision.

It wasn’t just Chester’s invaluable experience on the shop floor that fired such pioneering plans, though rigorous musical training in his native Yorkshire, followed by further study at the Royal Academy of Music in London and a short stint (1965-67) as a member of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra prior to his prestigious position with the RSNO, instilled in him a realistic understanding of the extent of training required to make it into a tough, competitive profession. What he also possessed was a fierce passion to champion young people, a gentle persuasiveness backed by vision, wisdom and common sense, and a natural diplomatic flair that was to win over successive politicians and backers, thus enabling his ambitious plans to take root with successive regularity.

By the time of his retirement in 2007 from NYOS, Chester had transformed the organisation into a world-respected organisation, its flagship symphony orchestra augmenting the regular Scottish tours with ventures overseas and appearances at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, the regular residential courses of all its ensembles proving a potent breeding ground for future musical stars.

Former NYOS board chairman Alan Simpson recalls that “overseas trips were a regular feature, with many concerts performed in Europe, but also as far afield as China. Richard was always a joy to work with because he was able to combine the attributes of a top-quality musician with a brilliant administrator.”

As a talent-spotter, Chester saw the potential in a eight-year-old Nicola Benedetti when appointing her leader of the first ever Children’s Orchestra. Other notable musicians benefitted from his mentorship, encouragement and high expectations, including conductor Gary Walker, recently appointed music director of Opera North, who started off as a cellist, but who was invited back to NYOS to make his Scottish professional conducting debut at the 2002 New Year’s Day Concert.

International percussionist Colin Currie remembers Chester as a man of wise counsel: “Richard carried himself with such dignity, but I always found him very approachable. Even when I first auditioned for NYOS at 13, I felt like I was taken very seriously and respected.”

Under Chester, NYOS gained significant respect and influence in the international youth orchestras circuit. He was a founder member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO) and the World Federation of Amateur Orchestras.

Dr Renate Böck, president the EFNYO, found him to be “an incredibly supportive, kind and honest person, who shaped EFNYO with his unique personality, full of optimism, expertise and energy. I am thinking of the many occasions at which he gave the right direction for EFNYO’s development and for the well-being of its members and young musicians.”

His real strength, though, was as a strategic thinker. When, around 2000, music tuition took a nosedive due to the decline of local authority support and inconsistency across Scotland, he recognised immediately the inequity of that, and the negative outcome it would have if NYOS was unable to form orchestras truly representative of the entire country.

And so he found resources, through trusts and partnerships, to fund tuition where it was lacking, though never as a final solution, more as a way of stemming the decline until a more sustainable and even-spread solution could be found. He would often call and brief me on the situation, about which he was open, honest, passionately concerned and constructive in thought. He continued to support the cause beyond his retirement, though more recent funding issues have hampered progress.

Chester also had a hand in encouraging the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland. Its founder and artistic director Christopher Bell says he “owes much to Richard, his calm thoughtfulness, his flair for strategic planning and his connections with so many musical and political people”.

Such qualities were to remain a benefit to NYOS when, upon retirement, he served on the NYOS Endowment Trust until 2019. Previous influential positions included his chairmanship of St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh, and as a member of the Scottish Arts Council. Chester was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, and in 1993 received an MBE for his services to music.

One of Chester’s proudest moments was in securing the NYOS patronage of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, who was welcomed at the orchestra’s 100th concert in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in July 1991. As always, his quietly dignified countenance imbued the occasion with the warm sophistication that was his natural demeanour.

Chester married Sarah Chapman-Mortimer in 1970, and the couple had three children – Matthew, Lucy and Emily – settling in their family home at Port of Menteith. In his later retirement, Chester remained active as a music adjudicator and continued to serve on committees, especially linked to music education.

He died of cancer at the age of 77, and is survived by his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.