My father, Brian Priestman, who has died aged 87, was a conductor with a worldwide reputation. Having started his career in Britain, he went on to work with orchestras across the US, and had a highly successful tenure with the Denver Symphony Orchestra in the 1970s. He was also a brilliant teacher who inspired generations of musicians through his work in youth orchestras and universities in Canada, South Africa and the US.
Brian was born in Bournville, Birmingham, to Margaret, who worked as a physiotherapist, and Miles, the registrar of stock holdings for Cadbury Brothers. He attended Sidcot school in Somerset, followed by the University of Birmingham, and completed his education at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, where he studied music and discovered conducting. In 1946, he briefly interrupted his education to serve with the Friends' Ambulance Unit, working with war-wounded children in France, and developed a lifelong love of the country.
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