Peter Lyons

Peter Stanley Lyons (6 December 1927 – 28 November 2006) was a renowned English choral musician of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge.

He served as director of music at Royal Naval College, Greenwich; director of music at the musically renowned Wells Cathedral School; and as an historic headmaster of Witham Hall School.

Early life Lyons was born, on 6 December 1927, at 16 Atherfold Road, SW9, London, Harold Leslie Lyons was a sugar-boiler manufacturer during his twenties He had one younger brother Leslie D. Lyons.

He was bought a house, No. 22, on the same road as his father, where he lived until his graduation from Cambridge. and was described as a "forerunner of Maria Callas". His performances included the part of Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice,

He won a choral scholarship to Cambridge in 1946, before he in 1948 matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge, and captained Rossall School's Old Boys 1st XI at soccer. in which he sung tenor. He was also a friend of Cambridge musicologist Peter le Huray (for whom he obtained the job of Sunday organist at Vanbrugh Castle School between 1951 and 1954).

His favourite sport was cricket: and of the Jesters Cricket Club, of which his father-in-law James William Webb-Jones was a co-founder; Director of music, Vanbrugh Castle School, (1950–1954) (with musicologist Peter le Huray as Sunday organist). and attended King George VI Memorial Leadership Training Course, Command Study Centre, 21 Platoon, Saighton Camp, during 1958). Headmaster, Witham Hall School, (1961–1989).

Witham Hall School Lyons was the second and longest-serving headmaster of Witham Hall School, from 1961 in addition to for the local public-schools Uppingham School, Oakham School, Oundle School, who was secretary of the Windsor and Eton Choral Society, and the wife of composer Sir Henry Walford Davies who was Master of the King's Music from 1934 until 1941. vice-provost of Eton College, for which Witham Hall School is a preparatory school. It was also under the Lyons's leadership that the school was inspected by the Ministry of Education and was subsequently granted the status of a Trust, in 1978; and that the school, after educating the Lyons's two daughters, first admitted girls, in 1983. The school's original sports-hall (which when it opened in 1987 was one of the largest in the country)

Except for their daughter-in-law Joanne ('JSL'), and of Barbara Bindon Moody (who was the daughter of Colonel Richard Stanley Hawks Moody CB, and the granddaughter of Major-General Richard Clement Moody who was the founder of British Columbia). A bridesmaid was the bride's maternal grandcousin Susan Holford,

Both of Bridget Lyons's parents (James William Webb-Jones and Barbara Bindon Moody) died at Witham Hall and are buried at The Church of St. Andrew, Witham on the Hill.

Issue Lyons and his wife Bridget had two daughters and one son, Their younger daughter Virginia Clare Their only son James Andrew married Joanne S. L. Hipkiss during July 1987.

Retirement and death Lyons was a member of the Young Musicians Support Group of the Dartington Hall Trust

Lyons died, of brain cancer, at Exeter, on 28 November 2006, and had a memorial service in 2007 at the Church of St. Andrew, Witham on the Hill, which is adjacent to the school whose renown he had built. His widow Bridget was still living in 2009.