Derek Hudson

Derek Hudson (23 May 1934 – 20 December 2005) was an English-born Zimbabwean conductor. He conducted ballets and orchestras in over a dozen countries, before moving to Rhodesia in 1977 to conduct the Bulawayo Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulawayo, where he remained for over 20 years. In 1976, he became Director of the Zimbabwe Academy of Music, and in 1977 he founded the National Symphony Orchestra. He retired in 2001 and two years later moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he died in 2005.

Early life and education Hudson was born on 23 May 1934 in Hove, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom. He was educated at Tonbridge School in Tonbridge, Kent. He also worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre.

Hudson left England for Cape Town, South Africa, mostly for health reasons. He was appointed to the position full-time in 1974. In 1983, he oversaw the completion of a small concert hall at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music in Bulawayo. In 1997, he initiated the first Bulawayo Music Festival, in which around 150 attendees took a steam train to Victoria Falls, where they witnessed English violinist Tasmin Little perform.

After suffering a heart attack in 2001, he retired from public life. After his wife's death in 2003 and due to his own failing health, he left Zimbabwe and moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, to live with his daughter. There, he died in his sleep on 20 December 2005, after contracting pneumonia. In his memory, a new audio-visual centre was set up at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music, which was lacking modern equipment. The new centre, along with a bust of Hudson, by local sculptor Gilliam Kaufman, were inaugurated in October 2007 at the Bulawayo Music Festival.

Personal life Hudson was married for almost 40 years to his wife Jill, a cellist and music teacher. They had two daughters, Joanna and Kate, and seven grandchildren.