Australian horn player Barry Tuckwell has died, aged 88. Born in Melbourne he studied the piano, violin and organ. At the age of 13 he switched to the French horn At 15, he became third horn with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and a year later joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as principal horn.
Tuckwell moved to London in 1950, becoming Assistant First Horn with the Hallé Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli in 1951. In 1955, he became principal horn of the London Symphony Orchestra, a position he would hold for 13 years.
He also became an internationally recognised soloist and recording artist. In 1980, he returned to Australia to take up the position of Chief Conductor of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Tuckwell gave his farewell concerts as a horn soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1997.
