Ronald Power MBE – Obituary

Ninety-nine is a great age and yet Ronald Power could quickly shake off the restrictions of being old if you mentioned things that really mattered. Bring up the subject of music, concerts and the Brighton Philharmonic and you’d find Ronnie was still in his prime.

Ronnie Power trained as an accountant but music was his real talent. Aged seventeen he became assistant and répétiteur for Ivor Novello, then monarch of the West End. It was a life of glamour, music and hard work. He learned his trade, the mysteries of musical theatre, of box-office realities, of managing temperamental artists, of balancing the books. He also had the duty of extending Ivor’s hospitality to any visiting stars, like tennis with Marlene Dietrich, piano duets with Noël Coward. Ivor was Ronnie’s rôle model and lodestar throughout his life but he also was very close to the impresario family of Prince and Emile Littler and their sister Blanche, Lady Robey, to whom Ronnie was a loyal friend.

In the 1950s Ronnie invested in transferring Broadway hits across the Atlantic to the West End. Moreover, he arranged the orchestral scores to suit the configurations of British theatre bands. In most of these enterprises he was very successful and was able to retire at the age of just 40.

Ronald Power MBE

It was then that he bought his flat with a view right down Marine Parade to the Palace Pier and beyond to the Isle of Wight, “The best view in Brighton!”. He could have bought the whole floor, or the grander first-floor flat, but he was a very private man and didn’t want any extra rooms which would have encouraged visitors to come and stay. That apart, Ronnie was essentially a very hospitable man and a most generous host. His Christmas parties were legendary, one for the Mayor & corporation and one for his pals – the best Bollinger and posh canapés all round. It was at this time that Ronnie took up his interest in the arts and music scene around Brighton, for example as a Director of the Brighton Dome and Festival, of the Brighton Arts Unit, and of the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, eventually becoming Chairman of the Trustees for twelve years. It was under his watch that the BPO prepared for the 21st century in terms of its marketing and profitability. His planning alongside Principal Conductor Barry Wordsworth extended the orchestra’s repertoire while retaining the trust of the established audience.  After a total of 30 years on the Board of Management, he was elected vice-president of the orchestra. Ronnie was a champion of local broadcasting, serving on the Board of the former BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey, although was rarely able to spend an evening at home with the radio or TV. He never lost touch with the London scene and for many years enjoyed a fixation with The Phantom of the Opera that brought him into the circle of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and a whole new generation of musical theatre.

Ronnie generously supported many local charities, including The Sussex Beacon, the Brighton AIDS Helpline and Crusaid. Ronnie Power was always among the first with funds for good causes. He born across the Downs in Steyning and was proud of being brought up in Brighton, “the same era as the Queen, Margaret Thatcher and Marilyn Monroe”. We enjoyed those saucy tales of his adolescence in the shadow of World War II. Like some P.G. Wodehouse character, he thrived under the watchful gaze of benevolent aunts who set him up with independent means. “My aunts were very good to me”. This good fortune he shared liberally, much to Brighton’s advantage. This was acknowledged when he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ) in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours, June 2000.

Ronnie had a selection of ready replies – ask him how he was: “Never better, 100%”, a phrase he was still using earlier this year.

Ronald Power, MBE
1 March 1925 – 9 September 2024

Andrew Connal
13 September 2024