British conductor Andrew Davis was born in Hertfordshire, England in 1944, and as a small boy started piano lessons. Showing great promise, as a teenager he began studying the organ, too. Later he became an Organ Scholar at Kings College, Cambridge. These formative years led to a long international career. While still in his 20s, he became Associate Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and at age 31 he became Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Some of his many career highlights included Music Director at Glyndebourne, Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Sir Andrew Davis died of Leukemia on April 20, 2024, and today's Beautiful Music features one of his performances. Himself a graduate of the Royal College of Music, he leads the RCM Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a program of music by Igor Stravinsky, Lili Boulanger, and Benjamin Britten.
