Renna Manduell MBE: 1931 – 2024

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Lady Renna Manduell MBE (née Kellaway) at the age of 92.

Born in Durban, South Africa in 1931, Renna was an acclaimed pianist, chamber musician and teacher who joined the RNCM in 1977. She became Head of Keyboard Studies in 1992 and founded the biennial Glories of the Keyboard festival in 1995. Remaining with the department until her retirement in 2000, Renna’s students included Caroline Dowdle, Steven Osborne OBE and Carole Presland.

Renna married RNCM founding Principal Sir John Manduell in 1955 and established a student prize in his memory in 2018. She was made a Fellow of the RNCM in 1997, was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2009 and received Cumbria Life’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 for her work as artistic director of the Lake District Summer Music Festival, which she founded in 1985.

30 April 2024