The violinist Peter Cropper has died at the age of 69, following a heart attack.
A founding member of the internationally acclaimed Lindsay String Quartet, Peter Cropper was the group's first violinist for its whole lifespan, from 1965 to 2005. The ensemble was formed at London's Royal Academy of Music, where Cropper had studied, and at first took his name. Two years later the Quartet were appointed Luverhulme Fellows at Keele University, where the group became the Lindsay Quartet in honour of the university's founder Lord Lindsay.
Over the years, they made many acclaimed recordings, including those of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart and Haydn, and performed around the world. Cropper also continued to play as a soloist.
Following the retirement of the Lindsays, he went on to perform as part of a trio alongside cellist Moray Welsh and pianist Martin Roscoe. And his musical endeavours extended beyond the realm of performance: Cropper founded Sheffield's Music in the Round festival and taught an MA in string quartet performance at Sheffield University.
Born in Southport, Lancashire, Cropper came from a musical family. His grandfather was leader of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, while his uncle was principal viola in the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a pupil at Uppingham School and a member of the National Youth Orchestra. Cropper took the prize for the best final year recital at the RAM, and continued to win awards during his career: he was awarded the Philharmonic Prize in 1994 for 'consistently imaginative programming' and a Creative Briton award in 2000.
