Arthur Oldham, composer and choirmaster
Born: 6 September, 1926, in London Died: 4 May, 2003, in Paris
By SIMON PIA for The Scotsman.

ARTHUR Oldham, whose funeral takes place in Paris today, will be particularly remembered for establishing his worldwide reputation with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus.

Back in 1945, at the age of only 19, Oldham had been appointed musical director of Ballet Rambert, and he went on to compose for London’s Royal Ballet. He became a familiar figure in Soho’s bohemian milieu, mixing with the likes of Francis Bacon, Dylan Thomas - "whom I met only once, and he was incoherently drunk" - and his intimate friends "the two Roberts", Scottish painters Colquhoun and McBride.

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