He was a violinist and conductor born in Lincoln, England, who received his musical education at the Paris Conservatoire, the Royal College of Music in London and Pierre Monteaux’ School in Hancock, Maine. During his studies he also became a violinist for the London Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia and formed the Jacobean Ensemble with Thurston Dart.
He is the founder and Life President of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra, where he played violin until 1969 before becoming their conductor. During his career he conducted the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the New York Chamber Orchestra and held tenures with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.
He appeared on more than 600 recordings and was known as an interpreter of music from the Baroque period as well as for his arrangements and selection of the music for the Amadeus soundtrack, which reached No. 56 on the Billboard album charts and is St. Martin in the Fields biggest selling album.
In 1985 he was given the honour of a knighthood.
His son is the clarinetist Andrew Marriner who has held the post of Principal Clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra and is daughter is the Susie is a writer.
He passed away in October 2016 when he was 92 years old.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields recordings
Adagio in G minor (Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni)
EMI Classics 5 66400 (CD: Baroque for Dummies)
Conductor – Neville Marriner
Violin – Iona Brown
Adagio in G minor (Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni)
Seraphim 5 73289 2 (CD: Classical Favorites)
Conductor – Neville Marriner
Violin – Iona Brown
Concertino for Trumpet in E flat Major (Johann Georg Albrechtsberger)
Deutsche Grammaphon DG B0005042-02 (CD: Masters of the Trumpet)
Conductor – Neville Marriner
Trumpet – John Wilbraham
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