Tribute: Atarah Ben-Tovim (1940–2022)

While the flautist Atarah Ben-Tovim, who has died aged 82, was certainly not the inventor of fresh air, it never stopped her injecting huge and welcome doses of it into British music education, particularly throughout the latter years of the last century. 

An outstanding performer, writer, arranger, broadcaster, teacher and undoubted enthusiast, the remarkable breadth and industry of this dynamic and hugely distinctive personality brought not only greater recognition for the instrument itself but also proved pivotal in inspiring countless generations of future musicians.

Born in Wales on 1 October 1940, the only daughter of an Abergavenny medical practitioner, her mother a teacher, the family home was constantly filled with classical music courtesy of her father’s extensive collection of 78s. Spending her formative years in Ealing, West London, this prodigiously talented performer played her first concerto on TV with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra aged 16. Barely 12 months later, when serving as principal flute of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, she performed at a Henry Wood Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.