THOMAS WILSON - SCOTLAND'S GREAT COMPOSER

That this House commemorates the composer, Thomas Wilson, who lived from 1927 to 2001 and is widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent voices in classical music of the last half of the twentieth century; notes that, although he was born in the USA of British parents, he lived in Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, for most of his life; acknowledges that he produced 115 works, which embrace various forms such as orchestral, choral-orchestral, opera, ballet and vocal music of different kinds and have been performed in countries all over the world; recognises that he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and a Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow; appreciates that he served as the Chairman of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain from 1986 until 1989 and received the CBE in 1990; commends the dedication and hard work of the Thomas Wilson Trust, which published the biography, Thomas Wilson – Introit: Towards the Light, and is currently looking for funding to digitise his works to facilitate dissemination and publicity; and wishes all those involved in maintaining the legacy of Thomas Wilson, considered Scotland’s leading composer, the best of success in the future.