Jon Geidt

Jon Geidt was born in Exeter, England in 1939. His first memory: being stung by a bee in 1942. His second: listening to the Warsaw Concerto (Decca 78, wind-up gramophone, steel needle). At Winchester Cathedral he learned to sing and to ring bells. Wellington College he disliked, but the Royal Hampshire Regiment he liked, and once conducted the band. He left the army and wandered the West Indies, Mexico and the States. For a time he worked for a firm selling bananas, then became a mature student of Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics. Here he composed his opus 1 for two pianos (now fortunately lost). For many years thereafter he worked in local government liaising with Gypsies and Travellers.

In 1990 he came to Cape Town, married Gail Fincham, adopted Misha and Amy (now aged 13 and 10) and lectured in Adult Education at the University of the Western Cape. Today he teaches part-time and works with the Capricorn Link (an NGO). He likes reading, walking, talking, skiing and animals (he’s not sure about children). Jon Geidt is interested in presenting the contexts and contrasts of music.