Remembering Charles Hine

We were sad to hear that Charles Hine died yesterday, 1 January 2024. Charles – distinguished clarinet player, conductor and academic – was a long-term collaborator and sometime trustee of Colchester New Music. Here are a few words from his friend and colleague Alan Bullard:

I knew Charles for about forty years, as teaching colleague, fellow musician, and friend. He maintained his professional career, as member of the Vega Quintet and other ensembles, alongside his teaching at Colchester Institute and encouragement of music-making in the wider world by his work with the British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles (BASBWE) and the British Clarinet Ensemble. In his teaching, playing and conducting he showed consummate artistry and musical understanding, and I was lucky enough to have several of my own works performed by him. He was active himself as a composer of music for the concert hall and for education, and was also a skilled and careful administrator who helped to run the Colchester Institute Music Department efficiently for many years. There must be so many musicians, amateur and professional, who owe their skills to Charles’ encouragement, he was a lovely man with a great sense of humour who will be much missed. My condolences to Kerry and to his wider family xx

Alan Bullard, 1 January 2024

The CNM concert Charles gave with Alan Bullard (piano) and Tim Torry (baritone) in 2017 proved to be one of his last solo clarinet performances. His artistry is captured well by Alan’s live recording:

Charles Hine had a life-long commitment to new music, not only as a composer but also as interpreter and promoter of the works of others. In 2019, not long before retiring as director of the British Clarinet Ensemble, Charles conducted them in a new music workshop for CNM. Here is Tim Torry’s “Worship” recorded at that session:

Please feel free to add your own memories of Charles in the comments section below.