Lionel Bryer

Lionel Bryer (14 June 1928 – 4 November 2006) was a South African-British youth arts promoter. He was co-founder of the International Festival of Youth Orchestras (Aberdeen International Youth Festival) and the European Union Youth Orchestra.

Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, he studied medicine at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg . He went to Oxford University on winning a Rhodes Scholarship, where he was an avid sportsman, playing rugby, cricket, tennis and skiing. He won a Nuffield research scholarship which brought him to Harvard University as a Research Fellow. He won the first Albert Joachim International Research Prize in 1956 from the International Association for Dental Research.

Afterward he became a successful London dentist with a practice on Sloane Street and later in Chelsea. As a dentist he was innovative, developing a ceramic process for fillings, and founded the International Dental Foundation, which organizes dentistry conferences at Swiss ski resorts.

A violinist who had played with Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra and the University of Witwatersrand Symphony Orchestra, he also played in the University College string orchestra at Oxford.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters, one of whom is TV presenter Tania Bryer.

In 1969, Lionel and his American-born wife Joy Bryer founded the International Youth Foundation of Great Britain, with Blyth Major, then director of the Midland Youth Orchestra, and Edward Heath as president. The foundation's goal was increasing international understanding through the unifying bond of music. The first project of the foundation was the 1969 International Festival of Youth Orchestras and Performing Arts, held in St Moritz, Switzerland, with the duo successfully raising funding for 10 festivals in which leading youth orchestras, ballet, folk, choral, dance, opera and visual arts groups took part. Together they travelled the world to recruit musical groups.

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