Many tributes have been paid to the distinguished choral director Pamela Cook. She was due to receive an Honorary Degree at the July Degree Congregations, but was too ill to attend. She died shortly afterwards.

Pamela Cook, who was 76, lived and spent most of her working life in Mansfield. Her early career was as a contralto singer and vocal coach. She taught singing in the Music Department at the University throughout the 1970s, and from 1975 taught at other educational institutions, including the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and the Birmingham Conservatoire (now part of Birmingham City University), where she was Senior Lecturer in Voice.

However, it was as the director of the girls’ choir Cantamus, which she founded in 1968, that she was best known. Between 1971 and 2013, the choir won 26 first prizes at 21 international festivals in Europe and in the Far East. Perhaps the choir’s greatest achievement was winning the title of Olympic Champions at the World Choir Olympics, Xiamen, China, in 2006. She also directed choral workshops in Europe, Canada, Israel, Japan and the USA.

Miss Cook served on the jury of many international competitions, including the BBC Choir of the Year. She had also been a commentator for The Cardiff Singer of The World for BBC Radio 3. In 2003 she became a Vice-President of the Association of British Choral Directors.

Miss Cook received many honours. She was awarded the MBE in 1984, was made an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 1990, and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Birmingham Conservatoire in 1993. In 2010 the Royal Academy of Music elevated her to the rank of Fellow, an honour limited to 300 musicians throughout the world.

The University extends its condolences to Pamela’s husband, Geoffrey.

John Morehen, Emeritus Professor of Music