Lionel Albert Jack "John" Bishop (26 October 190314 December 1964) was an Australian academic, conductor and patron of the arts. Bishop played a leading role in the development of

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

in Australia and was a founder of the

Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

Life and career

Bishop was born in Adelaide and studied piano from the age of 12 under the tuition of the distinguished Adelaide teacher William Silver. In 1919, he won the Alexander Clark Scholarship to the

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder (1818–1897). Dating in its earliest form from 1883 ...

, and in 1923, he won the South Australian Elder Scholarship to the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

in London. There, Bishop studied conducting in addition to furthering his piano studies with

Herbert Fryer George Herbert Fryer (21 May 1877 – 7 February 1957) was an English pianist, teacher and composer. Career Fryer was born in Hampstead, London in 1877, the only son of three children. His father George Henry Fryer was an insurance broker. He w ...

. His first appointment as a conductor came in 1928 for the Royal Wellington Choral Union and Wellington Philharmonic Orchestra in New Zealand. He returned to Australia in 1936 to take up a position as Director of Music at Scotch College in Melbourne. From 1940 to 1947 he was conductor of the Melbourne University Conservatorium Orchestra. His involvement with music in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

led him to become the first president of the Victorian School Music Association. From 1948, with the co-operation of fellow music teacher, Ruth Alexander, he organised summer music camps for young musicians. In 1954, he founded the

National Music Camp Association The Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), formerly Youth Music Australia, is a training organisation for young musicians. It originitated in the music camps founded by John Bishop and Ruth Alexander in 1948. AYO offers tailored training and perfor ...

and was subsequently responsible for the establishment of the

Australian Youth Orchestra The Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO), formerly Youth Music Australia, is a training organisation for young musicians. It originitated in the Summer camp, music camps founded by John Bishop (academic), John Bishop and Ruth Alexander in 1948. AYO ...

in 1957. In 1948, Bishop became a professor of music at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

, where he reformed the curriculum and faculty and set up a visiting lectureship program. He formed a partnership with Sir Llyod Dumas in the late 1950s to help found a major arts event in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. He was instrumental in the establishment of the

and became its inaugural arts director in 1960. Bishop continued in this position until his death. His involvement in the arts also included his positions as chairman of the UNESCO Committee for Music and as federal president of the Arts Council of Australia. He died suddenly in the foyer of

Australia House The High Commission of Australia in London is the diplomatic mission of Australia in the United Kingdom. It is located in Australia House, a Grade II listed building. It was Australia's first diplomatic mission and is the longest continuously ...

in London, of hypertensive

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...

, on 14 December 1964, aged 61.

Honours

He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1953.

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References

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Life and career

Honours

Notes

References

Further reading