The Australia Council for the Arts mourns the loss of Ken Tribe, lawyer, arts administrator and former Chair of the Australian Council’s Music Board. He died in Sydney on 16 July aged 96.

‘Through his work as a benefactor, board member and administrator, Ken Tribe quietly made an enormous contribution to Australian cultural life’ said Kathy Keele, Chief Executive of the Australia Council.

His many roles included being a member of the first Australia Council in 1975, a commissioner at the ABC and chairman of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Sydney College of the Arts.

Tribe had a 60 year involvement with leading classical concert presenter Musica Viva, holding several several key roles over that time including chairman, artistic director and patron.

In addition to his many board and committee positions he also commissioned a number of new works from composers including Richard Meale, Nigel Westlake, Peter Sculthorpe and Carl Vine

Matthew Hindson, a composer and current Chair of the Australia Council’s Music Board said, ‘Along with his important contribution to so many of our cultural institutions Ken Tribe provided great direct support to Australia’s musical culture through his commissioning of new works by some of our major composers’.

The Australia Council extends its heartfelt sympathies to Ken Tribe’s family.