We are sad to announce the death of Andrew Potter, Vice President and former Chairman of Making Music, at his home in Sussex on February 18th 2016.
Andrew spent his professional life in music and publishing and was a lifelong singer and advocate for the joys of music, including in his role as the Musical Director of the Sussex Gruffs Male Voice Choir.
He was an active and enthusiastic Trustee of Making Music from 2005 until his retirement as Chairman in September 2011. He saw the organisation develop strong alliances with like-minded charities including the Association of British Choral Directors (which he was instrumental in creating, John Rutter describing it as 'Andrew's brainchild'), and the British Association of Barbershop Singers, and oversaw the development of our five year strategic plan which ended last year. From 2011 he was a Vice President of the organisation while also chairing the New Music Group.
Andrew brought to the organisation a great depth of experience of music. For many years he was the Publishing Director of the Oxford University Press and in that position, he chaired the Music Publishers’ Association from 1999 to 2004 and subsequently acted as the Board Director of the Copyright Licensing Agency from 2007 to 2014. Over the same period, he lectured in Music Management at Buckinghamshire New University.
Andrew’s enthusiasm for driving participation in music found voice in his chairmanships of Creative Futures (which organises arts projects working with young people and those at the fringes of society) and of the London Arts in Health Forum (which aims to extend the reach of the arts to communities and individuals who would otherwise be excluded). He reached further towards those facing challenging circumstances as a Trustee of the Money Advice and Support charity in Brighton.
Peter Lawson, current Chair of Making Music commented
“I have known Andrew as a colleague and friend for the past eight years. His devotion, creativity and enthusiasm for all things musical are without equal. He will be sadly missed at Making Music, at Buckinghamshire New University, and at all the charities which have benefitted from his breadth of knowledge and understanding.”
Our deepest sympathies go to his wife Jan, to his family and to those close to him in so many spheres of musical activity.
