Andrew Lyle was an outstanding chorister who joined the Canterbury Choir School in 1960. He became Head Chorister in 1964 and recorded Mozart's Ave Maria, which was a highly successful commercial recording. While at the Choir School, Andrew began to play the clarinet and Alan Ridout wrote the title role in The Boy in the Catacombs for him. He won a music scholarship to King's Canterbury and became a member of the Kent Youth Orchestra. He read Bio-chemistry at Oxford University and was very active as a clarinettist and conductor. After Oxford, he played in the newly-created Hanover Band and spent a few years working in industry. Andrew then joined BBC Radio 3 as a presenter and producer, and remained in the BBC for nearly 30 years.
Andrew died in 2017, well before his time, and we are seeking to make a lasting memorial to him by inviting donations to the Trust set up to assist boys to join Canterbury Cathedral Choir when their parents may not have the financial scope for that to happen. The Cantoris Trust provides just this and will help a succession of gifted boys follow in Andrew's footsteps.