Basil Cameron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basil Cameron (born August 18, 1884 in Reading, Berkshire, died June 26, 1975 in Leominster) was an English conductor.
Cameron started his career on the violin, studying with Joseph Joachim and Leopold Auer in Berlin. He then became a violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1912, he began conducting at the seaside resort of Torquay. He used the name "Hindenburg" because he believed that his audiences would be more impressed by a conductor with a German name. He led festivals of Wagner and Richard Strauss with the Torquay orchestra, which brought him to prominence in the English musical scene.
During World War I Cameron served in the British army (abandoning his German pseudonym), taking a break from his conducting career. After the war Cameron led orchestras in many other British resorts. Laudatory reviews by George Bernard Shaw and Percy Grainger increased his renown.
In 1930 he guest-conducted with the San Francisco Symphony, and was later invited to become its music director. Between 1930 and 1932 he served as joint music director with Issay Dobrowen. In 1932 he moved to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. In 1938 he returned to Britain, where he remained for the rest of his career.
[edit] External link
| Preceded by Alfred Hertz |
Music Directors, San Francisco Symphony 1930–1932 (with Issay Dobrowen) |
Succeeded by Pierre Monteux |
| Preceded by Karl Krueger |
Music Directors, Seattle Symphony 1932–1938 |
Succeeded by Nikolai Sokoloff |
 |
This article on a conductor or bandleader is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
