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A personal tribute to Anthony Professor Anthony Camden FGSM, ARCM, world oboe virtuoso. A man of slight stature, but one of the tallest men in the world with a huge heart. He was a legend in his lifetime, and will now become an even bigger one, having touched so many lives; leaving behind a huge legacy of music and musicians. The paper chase begins, and ends: I showed Anthony our proposal and he said, "You need Sir Neville Marriner, I’ll be talking to him today". When Anthony wanted something, he usually managed to get it – he always put forward a very reasonable argument that no-one could refute. Anyhow, Sir Neville was gracious enough to accept. On his next tour to Australia he came to Noosa to meet our members, and immediately fell in love with it – “what a perfect haven for artists”, he said. Anthony then proceeded to funnel the very best people who were visiting from overseas, and some nationals, to Noosa to perform here....Dame Joan Sutherland, Piers Lane (no one here had heard of him at the time!), the Australian String Quartet, just back from a world tour, Julian Lloyd Webber, Jane Rutter at the height of her career, and many many more. At the same time, Anthony fell in love with Noosa and bought a unit. When he moved to Hong Kong as the Dean of Music at the Academy for Performing Arts, he used his Noosa unit as his "bolt-hole" during the Academy's holidays, often bringing with him friends (world-renowned musicians) who were also enchanted by and with Noosa. Anthony and his wife Lilly were great ambassadors for Noosa. He is an author, the most recorded oboist in the world (CDs and gramophone records – over 400), has made video recordings with the LSO and Claudio Abbado, the London Virtuosi, and documentaries and talks for television as well as the BBC. Played all over the world, held masterclasses in most countries. Some of his press cuttings read - Washington Post (USA) “…… ……Camden performed last night with a dazzling technique and a beautiful sound. The Mozart was a revelation in breath control" and from the Courier Mail “…..Camden’s tone was ravishingly beautiful with just the right amount of vibrato, some exquisite turns of phrasing and subtle graduations of tone”. He and his artists enjoyed performing in Noosa. He preferred playing here because of the interaction with the local community. He often said “…you get a situation where you are eating out after the concert, and as you walk into a restaurant people will recognize you, and talk to you. The same thing at breakfast the next morning, or strolling down the street and you have some sort of dialogue with these people and you make very good friends that way.” Thank you Anthony, for believing in my vision for Noosa. Without you it would never have happened. Noosa Federation of the Arts - Meg Lawrence |
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