Sidney Sager

Sidney Sager (17 May 1917 – 3 December 2002) was an English composer, conductor and trombonist, best known for his music for television and radio.

Born into a Jewish family in London's East End, he joined the British Army at the age of 14 as a band boy, and as a result of his natural ability was sponsored by the Army to study at the Royal College of Music. He is the younger brother of Terry Burns (born Mark Sager) the medical inventor and picture restorer. There is also a second brother Edward Tunnicliff (born Edward Sager) who now lives in North Norfolk.

Sidney Sager's musical career was interrupted by the Second World War, during which he fought with the British Expeditionary Force in France and was evacuated from Dunkirk. Following a brief spell in England he was transferred to North Africa, where he served from 1941 to 1945.

He left the army in 1945 and returned to civilian life as a musician, playing brass for some time for the Royal Opera at Covent Garden. During the 1950s he studied composition and conducting in Geneva, and shortly after his return to the UK moved to Bristol, where he conducted the BBC West of England Light Orchestra and founded the Paragon, the City of Bristol's first symphony orchestra, which subsequently reformed as Bristol Sinfonia.

He has perhaps become best known for his music for television and radio. He was involved for many years with the BBC wildlife unit at Bristol and also wrote the music for many programmes for HTV West.

One of the most well-remembered programmes he scored was The Best of Friends, starring John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, and Patrick McGoohan as Sydney Cockerell, Laurentia McLachlan, and George Bernard Shaw respectively. This work was scored for string quintet modelled after Schubert.

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