Clarice Dunington

Annie Clarice Dunington was born on 19 November 1890 in Moss Side, Manchester. Her parents were Albert, a landscape artist, and Annie (née Beardsall) of 102 Maine Road, Moss Side. In 1901, Annie Clarice and her younger sister, Maud Victoria, were living at 25 Trafford Road, Eccles, with their parents. The family then moved to 47 Belmont Road, Ashton-on-Mersey. On the 1911 census form, ‘Clarice’, as she preferred to be known, was referred to as ‘musician, violin student’ under 'Occupation' and Maud, ‘musician, violoncello student’. Both girls were gifted musicians and they played in many music festival competitions and concerts during their childhood.

By 1909, Clarice had become one of the leading pupils at the Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM). She also began teaching the violin at her home in Belmont Road.

In the years that followed, Clarice became a celebrated musician and conductor. She joined the Hallé Orchestra at a time when more and more female musicians were replacing men who had left to join the forces. In 1914 she married Archie Camden at St. Mary Magdalene’s Church, Ashton-on-Mersey. Archie was principal bassoonist in the Hallé Orchestra at that time.

In 1919, Clarice took part in a concert at Rochdale Town Hall arranged by the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers (NADSS). She was one of ‘a capital array of talented artistes’ and played two violin solos ‘with “musicianly” taste and feeling’.  For many years, Clarice was leader of the Llandudno Pier Orchestra, and in 1921, she took over as musical director of the St. Annes-on-Sea Pier Orchestra. The Manchester Evening News dated 29 August 1923 reported:

Miss Dunington the popular conductress of the pier orchestra at St. Annes-on-Sea, gets remarkably good results out of the orchestra, judiciously mixing the popular with the classics and giving an entertainment that is invariably delightful.

The St. Annes-on-Sea Pier Orchestra was a feature of the Floral Hall for over fifty years, playing twice daily, from 1910 to 1966 and was mainly comprised of women. Clarice remained with the orchestra until 1933.

In 1935, Clarice was in charge of the Junior Section of Burnley’s Municipal Symphony Orchestra. An article in the Burnley Express dated 16 November 1935 read:

We are lucky to have such a fine musician as Miss Dunington in charge of the Junior Section. In addition to her Burnley duties, she conducts the Manchester Orchestral Society, the Manchester Committee’s Schools Orchestra, the Shepley Orchestra, Stockport, and is also interested in the Manchester Grammar School Orchestra. It is a privilege to have such a personality to direct the fortunes of our budding musicians, and, if they will grasp the opportunity, there is no doubt that the Junior Section will fulfil the object for which it was formed, namely that it will be a valuable feeding ground for the Municipal Symphony Orchestra. 

Clarice was also conductor for the Manchester Women's String Orchestra. Formed in 1935, this orchestra was the only one of its kind in the country. It gave a series of highly successful concerts in Manchester and was broadcast on the North Regional transmitter, enabling it to reach different parts of the country.

Clarice and Archie had divorced in 1934 and the 1939 Register shows Clarice living alone at 27 Clifton Street, Rusholme. Her occupation is listed as ‘musician, violinist and ambulance driver at Alma Park, Levenshulme’.

In 1940, during World War II, a Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), was established. Its aim was to help support and preserve British culture. Clarice was one of the artistes recruited by CEMA and in the years that followed, she played at a number of concerts and recitals. At a concert in Crewe in 1946, the performers were Clarice playing violin, the well-known contralto singer Kathleen Ferrier, and pianist Violet Carson (who later played Ena Sharples in Coronation Street). After the war, CEMA was renamed The Arts Council of Great Britain. 

Clarice also continued to conduct the Manchester Women’s String Orchestra. In November 1949, the Manchester Guardian reported:

Conducted by Miss Clarice Dunington, the Manchester String Orchestra gave an enjoyable midday concert in Manchester Central Library. The quiet animation of Miss Dunington’s conducting told of good rehearsals and of a balanced conception of music which did not have to strain for effect.

Clarice died on 11 November 1968 aged 77. At the time of her death, she was living at 23 Seamons Road, Oldfield Brow, Altrincham.

Clarice’s sister, Maud, was a principal artist with the Northwich Philharmonic Society in 1916. She married Samuel Hugh Carpenter in Glasgow in 1924. Both were members of the Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Maud was the orchestra’s only woman cellist. The couple lived in Glasgow for many years and had one son, James (1926 - 1950). Maud died on 19 July 1983 in Macclesfield.

Sources

Burnley Express dated 16 November 1935      

Manchester Guardian dated November 1949

Michael Kennedy: The Halle Tradition: A Century of Music

Amounderness.co.uk, ‘St. Anne’s Pier – The Pier Orchestra’, https://amounderness.co.uk/the_pier_orchestra.html

https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/2/societies/council-for-encouragement-music-arts#:~:text=In%201940%2C%20during%20World%20War,Arts%20Council%20of%20Great%20Britain%20.