VINCENT BILLINGTON was born in Manchester, and started to play the piano by ear at the age of three. Born into a poor family, he started improvising, and two years later received his first piano lessons from the nuns based at Notre Dame Convent in Manchester. Later, Hilda Collens, the founder of the Matthay School of Music gave him free lessons, following the kindness of the nuns. Vincent became a junior Student at the re-named Northern School of Music, went to school at the Xaverian College and later entered the College as a fulltime music student. His mother was chronically ill with asthma, but although none of the family was musical, she made many sacrifices to enable him to take up the piano full time, something that Vincent will never forget. At music college he studied with several famous pianists, including Louis Kentner and John Hunt. During this period he performed the wonderful Brahms Piano Quintet with one of Britain’s finest String Quartets, the Hirsch String Quartet at Manchester’s Houldsworth Hall. He is now one of the most versatile and brilliant pianists in the country, with a prodigious memory and an outstanding repertoire. After a successful orchestral debut with the Hallé at the Edinburgh Festival, Sir John Barbirolli recommended him to the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, where he spent many happy years. It was at this time that Vincent worked with such world-renowned composers as Tippett, Messiaen, Bliss, and Aaron Copland, plus conductors such as Sir Adrian Boult, Daniel Barenboim, and Jascha Horenstein. He also played frequently with the BBC Welsh, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra., and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras. His solo recitals have taken him all over the world, notably Russia, China, Japan, Australia and the USA. His two appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall brought rave notices from the national press, and he appeared at several London Proms in a variety of roles. For a time, he became pianist to Max Jaffa at Scarborough during the summer months, and appeared in many broadcasts on BBC Radio 2 from the concert Hall at London’s Broadcasting House, plus several appearances on TV with the violin maestro. His versatility is such that one day he was broadcasting on BBC Radio 3, and the next appearing on stage at the London Palladium with Dora Bryan in a Royal Concert for the Duchess of Kent. Vincent’s hundred or so programmes for BBC Radio Manchester became very popular, and during the long series he met and interviewed such celebrities as Victor Borgë and Eartha Kitt. He always enjoyed performing the ‘Carnival of Animals’ for two solo pianos and orchestra with the Hallé, especially when the amusing verses by Ogden Nash verses were narrated by such artists as Stuart Hall and Johnny Morris. Vincent took part in the biographies of Grieg, Debussy, Borodin, Franck and others, which were broadcast not only in this country but also on the BBC World Service.
He was also a first rate Radio 3 accompanist and enjoyed working with many fine singers, including Owen Brannigan, Joan Hammond, and Moira Anderson. Vincent broadcast many concertos, and performed over twenty with the Royal Engineers Band (Chatham), but his talents did not end there. His rare and wonderful gift of improvisation was a source of amazement to his audience, and disbelief to his fellow professionals. This, combined with a dry sense of humour, produced an extremely entertaining and down to earth concert. Sometimes he composed an instant Rhapsody based on requests from the audience, something unheard of with classical musicians. One of his greatest weeks of fun occurred when travelling with James Galway, the world renowned flautist, who proved that even after all his acclaim he is still a down to earth person with a wicked sense of humour.
Vincent played several times at the Houses of Parliament at the invitation of Speaker Betty Boothroyd, including one for the then Prime Minister, John Major, when he received a standing ovation. Sometimes he played as guest classical pianist on P&O Cruises. He loved the great masters, but adapted to almost any type of music. Vincent gave over 25 concerts in England, Scotland and Wales with former Beirut hostage, Terry Waite, and together they presented Terry’s amazing story combined with the music that he missed so much. In 2003 Vincent wrote 35 articles for the national religious newspaper, ‘The Universe’, in which he explained in a lighthearted way how the composers were influenced by their spirituality.
Vincent was married with four children, and lived in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. He recently published his own book, the Funny Side of Serious Music which was an instant hit.
Despite recent serious illness he continued to perform right up to the last few days of his life. he peacefully passed away on 6th January 2010 with his family by his side.
HOME
