Although my first musical experiences were mainly centred on the pop music of the 1960s, I was drawn from my late teens onwards ever deeper into the world of what we loosely call ‘classical music’. Throughout my composing and teaching careers, I have always tried to bring this richly diverse field of music to as broad an audience as possible. It has become increasingly clear to me that this area of the arts is in a very perilous condition, being increasingly marginalised in our society, and I will devote my remaining time to attempting to remedy this situation.