Derek Hudson
Derek Hudson (23 May 1934 – 20 December 2005) was an English-born Zimbabwean conductor. He conducted ballets and orchestras in over a dozen countries, before moving to Rhodesia in 1977 to conduct the Bulawayo Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulawayo, where he remained for over 20 years. In 1976, he became Director of the Zimbabwe Academy of Music, and in 1977 he founded the National Symphony Orchestra. He retired in 2001 and two years later moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he died in 2005. Early life and education Hudson was born on 23 May 1934 in Hove, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom. He was educated at Tonbridge School in Tonbridge, Kent. He spent four years as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, before winning a scholarship to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he studied piano, composition, and conducting. He later studied with the conductor Ernest Ansermet in Geneva, Switzerland. Conducting career Hudson made his debut with the English Chamber Orchestra at Wigmore Hall in London. In addition to a number of concerts at that orchestra, he also conducted for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. He