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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) studied composition at the Royal College of Music, 1890-1897. He enjoyed frequent public performances of his music, including concerts at the RCM and in Croydon, Surrey, during this period. He received his first commission, from the Three Choirs Festival, in 1898. This work, the Ballade in A minor for orchestra, was well received at its first performance. His best known work, the cantata 'Hiawatha's Wedding Feast' was given its first performance in the same year and became widely acclaimed in England and the USA. The period 1897-1903 saw prolific composition by Coleridge-Taylor, particularly for festival commissions and incidental music for plays. He was active as a conductor: he worked for the Handel Society, and became their permanent conductor in 1904 until his death. He was also conductor of the Westmorland Festival, 1901-1904, and of many choral and orchestral societies. He also undertook much teaching in and around Croydon, and was appointed professor of composition at Trinity College of Music, London, in 1903. Edith Carr was an amateur violinist in South Croydon and aged in her twenties around the time of the correspondence with Coleridge-Taylor. She appears to have played in musical ensembles under Coleridge-Taylor's conduction.