John Kennedy

Who was John Kennedy?

John Kennedy was a noted British cellist who had significant associations with Australia, where he worked in the latter part of his life and where he died. He was the natural father of the violinist Nigel Kennedy.

John Kennedy was born in London. His parents were Australians, the cellist Lauri Kennedy and the pianist Dorothy Kennedy. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music. At age 24 he became first cello with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, making him the youngest principal in Great Britain. He joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1949, as principal, where he performed as soloist in such works as the Elgar Cello Concerto under Otto Klemperer.

He taught at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music for two years and appeared in concerts for Musica Viva Australia. In 1952 he toured New Zealand as part of the Llewellyn-Kennedy Piano Trio with the violinist Ernest Llewellyn and the pianist Scylla Stoner - who was billed as "Scylla Kennedy", John's first wife.

He returned to the UK, where he was principal cello at Covent Garden. He later became the principal cellist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham.