THOMAS WILSON - SCOTLAND'S GREAT COMPOSER

Early day motion 1998, tabled 22 January 2019 by Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party). Signed by 17 members.

That this House commemorates the composer, Thomas Wilson, who lived from 1927 to 2001 and is widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent voices in classical music of the last half of the twentieth century; notes that, although he was born in the USA of British parents, he lived in Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, for most of his life; acknowledges that he produced 115 works, which embrace various forms such as orchestral, choral-orchestral, opera, ballet and vocal music of different kinds and have been performed in countries all over the world; recognises that he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and a Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow; appreciates that he served as the Chairman of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain from 1986 until 1989 and received the CBE in 1990; commends the dedication and hard work of the Thomas Wilson Trust, which published the biography, Thomas Wilson – Introit: Towards the Light, and is currently looking for funding to digitise his works to facilitate dissemination and publicity; and wishes all those involved in maintaining the legacy of Thomas Wilson, considered Scotland’s leading composer, the best of success in the future.

Signatures by party: Scottish National Party 13, Labour 3, DUP 1.