Nigel Perrin – 4 November 1947 – 23 June 2024

After his time with the world famous Kings Singers, Nigel found himself in Bath and with a desire to continue entertaining with song. A group of singers was assembled to compete in the Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition and the early success achieved led to appearances on local television and an overwhelming desire to continue under the name of Bath Camerata. For the next 29 years Nigel continued to produce programmes with great variety and the ability to entertain a wide cross section of the public. It was always necessary to have an encore up our sleeve!

Nigel’s enthusiasm was infectious and people worked hard (mostly) to produce performances that would satisfy our meticulous maestro and delight the audience. The pleasure he got from entertaining was passed on, along with many of the skills that he had learnt during his time as a globetrotting musician. As a result of his energy, ability and musical connections, we had opportunities of which others could only dream. To be able to perform with The Three Tenors, Brian Eno, Paco Peña, Kit and the Widow and many more, you had to be in Nigel’s gang. The variety of artistes and music was nearly matched by the variety of venues, which included Wigmore Hall, The World Stage at the Epcot Centre, The newly restored Basilica in Assisi, a hunting castle in The Czech Republic and every Good Friday in Wells Cathedral since 1987.

However, it wasn’t just the singing that was important; we were all inducted into the Camerata family of which Nigel was the patriarch.  Every outing included significant doses of fun together, whether that was during large team meals, afternoons around the pool or late night revelry that generated a wealth of anecdotes.  Everyone who sang for Nigel in Bath Camerata carries memories of that period in time when they were lucky enough to be involved with a unique bunch of friends, assembled and led by a relentlessly cheerful yet serious, fun-loving master of his art.

We were so pleased that Nigel was able to attend the premier of our Jonathan Dove commission last autumn.  Despite his limited vision, Nigel could certainly still hear perfectly well, judging by the debrief received after the concert. It is desperately sad that there will be no more occasions when Nigel will be there to encourage us to excellence but now it is down to us. The least we can do to thank Nigel for the immense enjoyment he has given all of us is to carry on striving for excellence in entertainment through music.

From all of us,

Thank you Nigel!