the Berlin Philharmonic, Lythgoe astonished both the conductor and himself by declining. He recalled that he felt he had reached a "musical menopause". A breakdown caused him to abandon performances altogether, and in 1976, he accepted the post of Dean Of Faculty at the Music School Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio, where he became a well-loved figure, appearing again in his own television series, A Touch of Lythgoe, produced by public television station WVIZ, and playing occasional concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra, some of which were conducted by his friend, Sir Colin Davis. Later life Lythgoe increasingly felt his true mission was to bring music to those not privileged enough to attend concert halls. When he settled in New York City, he became director of Horizon Concerts in New York City, a non-profit organisation, and using talented young musicians he gave short concerts mixed with anecdotes to audiences in homeless centres, nursing homes, hospices and schools. He was also the director of the Roosa School of Music, a community music school located on Willow Place in Brooklyn Heights for several years, after which it was merged into another school. He lived alone in a simple one-bedroom co-op apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens. In 2000, a profile in The New York Times led to renewed media interest and a career revival. Recordings His first Gershwin recording, Music For Pleasure, scaled the pop charts, and won the British "Record Of The Year Award", an award he shared with Sir Georg Solti and The Beatles. His acclaimed recordings of American piano music were added to the permanent collection of the White House Library by President Jimmy Carter Television and radio In England, his TV series, The Lythgoe Touch, ran for 85 weeks, consecutively followed by a 52-week BBC radio series, My Piano and I, and a 26-week television series for London's ITN. Celebrity guests included Gracie Fields, who became a close friend and took him with her to perform in New York. In the US, he hosted a TV series, A Touch Of Lythgoe for PBS. References External links New York Times obituary Daily Telegraph (UK) obituary The Times (UK) obituary New York Times 2000 profile Clive Lythgoe's 1951 and 1961 British passports from www.passportland.com 1927 births 2006 deaths Military personnel from Essex British classical pianists Male classical pianists British expatriates in the United States People from Colchester People from Wimbledon, London Place of