Robert Fripp's Diary

Bredonborough A grey wet day

17.52

Bredonborough.

A grey, wet day. Grey is not good; grey & drizzle is not very good; grey & pouring with rain is very good indeed! This is the view of a garden-lover.

Barbara & Beric visited for afternoon tea…

… and being brought up to speed on T’s entrepreneurial activities in France, complete with j-peg slideshow & movie-tour of the apartment.

Then T set off to London & I am returned to computing, to which my day has been otherwise mostly devoted. In the news…

Sam Alder retires as Chairman of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy

23rd April 2007

Sam Alder, Chairman and founding member of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Charity, has resigned from his position as Chairman of the Board of Governors at the advice of his doctors.

An accountant by trade, Sam spent much of his life in the music industry, managing bands including T Rex and Roxy Music. This work introduced him to the pioneering work of Nordoff-Robbins Music therapists and he became instrumental in establishing the charity, working firstly as Secretary, then Treasurer and latterly Chairman.Pauline Etkin, Managing Director of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, said:“Sam Alder’s contribution over more than 30 years to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy has been invaluable and wide. He has been a driving force in many aspects of the charity’s development and it is with great sadness that we see him depart. We all want to thank him for his support and wish him a happy retirement.

In his various roles within the charity, Sam Alder helped to raise over £6m pounds, which allowed the building of a dedicated Music Therapy Centre, and the expanding of the range of the charity throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes the establishment of therapy centres in Scotland and New York. He also initiated the establishment of the International Trust for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, which has enabled the protection of the intellectual properties of the work.

Well, actually Mr. Alder arrived at EG (November 1970) just about when Marc Bolan left and, within the office at the time, Mr. Alder was not considered a manager: Mr. Alder had joined the firm as a “back-room boy”, to handle accounting & book-keeping. Mark Fenwick was the active, on-the-road hands-on manager of Roxy Music & Bryan Ferry from 1972, when Roxy joined the EG office. (Prior to that, Mr. Fenwick was hands-on with ELP 1970-71). When David Enthoven was ejected from the company in 1977, Messrs. Alder & Fenwick became equal partners. So, formally, Mr. Alder may be considered a Roxy/Ferry manager, and was certainly responsible for the accounting; within the office, Mr. Fenwick was regarded as BF’s personal manager. Perhaps Bryan would have some comments to offer regarding the skill with which Mr. Alder managed his financial affairs, but the gagging orders on both Bryan & his professional advisers prevent them from doing so.

Nordoff-Robbins benefited far more from Mr. Alder’s direction than myself, and several other artists of my acquaintance. But let us happily acknowledge, the charity would not have become the force it is today without him. Bring on the knighthood?

According to their website, Mr. Alder continues as Deputy Chairman of the Governing Council of the Independent Schools Council. 

And this is a portrait of Mark Fenwick…

21.56  An evening practising. Wonderful. Balancing, sane, stabilising.

Dramatic evening skies over Bredonborough I…

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