Photo of conductor Sir Andrew Davis

Photo of conductor Sir Andrew Davis
Photo by Lucas Dawson
Photo of conductor Sir Andrew Davis
Photo by Dario Acosta
Photo of conductor Sir Andrew Davis conducting an orchestra
Photo of conductor Sir Andrew Davis
Photo by Lucas Dawson
Photo of conductor Sir Andrew Davis
Photo by Dario Acosta
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“His view of Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F Major, which opened the program, could not have been more radiant. He led without a baton, emphasizing the lyrical quality of this music. His sense of joy was evident from the opening. There was a clarity to his direction that allowed each inner theme and orchestral solo to emerge, and each musical phrase to breathe.”

Cincinnati Enquirer

“Conducting the fourth opera of his Lyric podium marathon this fall, Davis summons incisive playing from his well-prepared orchestra and full-blooded singing from director Michael Black’s finely disciplined chorus.”

Chicago Tribune

“Andrew Davis’s gloriously pliant conducting evinces total conviction”

Gramophone

“While Chicago audiences know Davis primarily for his Lyric Opera work, the conductor is often just as inspired in orchestral programs. Such was the case here, with Davis drawing resplendent, multihued playing from the CSO musicians.”

Chicago Classical Review

One of today’s most recognized and acclaimed conductors, Sir Andrew Davis has enjoyed a career that spans more than fifty years, during which he has been the musical and artistic director at several of the world’s most distinguished opera and symphonic institutions. These include Lyric Opera of Chicago (Music Director Emeritus and Principal Conductor 2000-2021), BBC Symphony Orchestra (Chief Conductor 1989-2000, now Conductor Laureate), Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Music Director 1988-2000), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Chief Conductor 2013-2019, now Conductor Laureate), and Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Principal Conductor 1975-88, now Conductor Laureate). He also holds the honorary title Conductor Emeritus from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Maestro Davis has performed at many of the world’s important opera houses, among them the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Bayreuth Festival, and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and appeared with virtually every internationally prominent orchestra, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and all the major British orchestras.

A vast and award-winning discography documents the artistry of Sir Andrew, his recordings include the works of Berlioz, Berg, Bliss, Elgar (winner of the 2018 Diapason d’Or de l’Année in the category Musique Symphonique), Finzi, Grainger, Delius, Ives, Holst, Handel (nominated for a 2018 GRAMMY® for Best Choral Performance), and York Bowen (nominated for a 2012 GRAMMY® for Best Orchestral Performance). His lauded recordings with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus celebrating British composers were recently released as a sixteen-CD retrospective collection. He currently records for Chandos Records, with whom he has been an exclusive artist since 2009.

Born in 1944, in Hertfordshire, England, Maestro Davis studied at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar before taking up conducting. His diverse repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary works, and spans the symphonic, operatic, and choral worlds. He is a great proponent of twentieth century music, including works by Janáček, Messiaen, Boulez, Elgar, Tippett, Britten, and Vaughan Williams, in addition to the core symphonic and operatic works.

Holding the honorary position of President of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, Sir Andrew Davis was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1992, and in 1999 was designated a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours List.

DECEMBER 2023