Born London, November 14, 1935.
Died London, May 13, 2008, aged 72.
Arts editor and music critic David Sonin was known for his fair and sympathetic reviews.
Soon after his birth in London, his father, Sidney, went off to fight Franco in the Spanish civil war. On his return he took his wife, Netty, and young son to Australia a few months before the outbreak of the Second World War.
David went from Sydney Grammar School, where he achieved the highest marks in New South Wales, to Sydney University, to study maths and physics.
He spent his Australian army national service in Borneo, Indonesia and Korea. He drove tanks and military vehicles and flew DC3s and Anson planes.
He started his journalistic career in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1963, while on holiday in Britain, he met a young pianist, Gillian Sack. They married the following year.
David worked in London as a sub-editor on international affairs, first for VisNews, a BBC news agency, then for ITN in commercial TV, and for the Central Office of Information.
Moving into communal work, he handled news for the JNF and JPA (now UJIA). He was JPA publicity director from 1970-74, editing its year book, and became director of British Ort in 1975.
He returned to journalism in 1978 as the JC’s arts editor. He had already written for the paper and edited its news and features bulletin. Although his formal musical education was limited to playing violin at school, he loved the arts and had wide general knowledge.
He encouraged and mentored young musicians and music critics, like Malcolm Miller, and playwrights and directors, such as Julia Pascal.
In his last two years before retiring from the JC in 1999, he was regional editor, in which capacity he enjoyed speaking to groups around the country.
He then joined the Hampstead & Highgate Express, producing from home a weekly page on serious music. His encouragement of local music projects and festivals was greatly appreciated.
He died from cancer and is survived by his wife, Gilly, and son, Adam.
