Two London artist management agencies were hit with the deaths of veteran managers, both retired. On May 31, 2022, Classical Music reported David Sigall of Ingpen & Williams International Artists’ Management had died on May 29, 2022, at age 79, following a long illness.

Five days later, On June 3, 2022, The Violin Channel reported the passing of Peter Bloor of Askonas Holt. Bloor was 73 years old.

David Sigall served as Director of Ingpen & Williams International Artists’ Management and former honorary president of the International Artist Managers Association. Sigall retired in 2016. He is survived by his wife Karen Taylor and sister Vera.

Sigall worked with some of the biggest names in opera, including Sherrill Milnes, Pierre Boulez, Sir Georg Solti, Barrie Kosky, Dame Joan Sutherland, and Jessye Norman, among many others.

“I count myself to have been very lucky to have had [Sigall] at my side throughout most of my working life. His support was unfailing and, remarkably, we always saw eye to eye on any important decisions that needed to be made,” said a former colleague of 40 years, Jonathan Groves, in the Classical Music article.

Bloor, who was born in Sydney, Australia, retired from Askonas Holt in 2013. He spent 25 years at the London agency, starting in 1988. Bloor was appointed to the agency’s board shortly after.

Bloor joined The Australian Opera’s administrative team in 1973. While at AO, he became friends with Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge. Bloor, a gifted translator, wrote surtitles for The Australian Opera and the Royal Opera House, translating operas from Italian, French, and German.

“His knowledge of voices and their repertoire was second to none. He also possessed a wicked and dry sense of humor and adored the absurd, both in life and the business. Selfless to a fault, he was hugely loved by both his artists and his colleagues who knew they could always turn to him, even in retirement, for advice, guidance, or just a friendly listening ear when needed,” Askonas Holt stated on their website.