Both he and his younger brother Nigel (1936–2010) attended Bedales School in Hampshire, where they were exposed to a liberal education and intellectual freedom much in line with their parents' own progressive outlook on the world.
As a conscientious objector he refused military service in 1955 and was briefly imprisoned before being allowed to do farm work.
They raised their four children, Theresa, Clare, Nicolette and Orlando, at Church Farm in Ashmansworth, Hampshire, the family home built by Finzi's parents.
Finzi eventually turned his attention away from music to farming, establishing a poultry business at Ashmansworth.
He made several recordings in his capacity as a conductor, including a performance of Gerald Finzi's Dies Natalis and music by British composers Robin Milford and Edmund Rubbra.