John Pritchard (conductor)
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For other persons named John Pritchard, see John Pritchard (disambiguation).
Sir John Michael Pritchard CBE (February 5, 1921 – December 5, 1989) was an English conductor.
He was born in London and came from a musical family, his father having been a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra. He studied violin, piano, and conducting in Italy.
He was known for his interpretations of Mozart operas and for his support of contemporary music.
Late in his career, the San Francisco Opera named Pritchard its Music Director, a post especially created for him.
[edit] Career
- Glyndebourne Festival, 1947–1978
- 1947 coach and repetiteur; 1948–51 chorus master; 1951 member of conducting staff; 1952 conducted Mozart's Idomeneo; 1953 Ariadne auf Naxos (with Sena Jurinac); 1969–1978 musical director.
- Vienna Staatsoper, 1951–1952
- Covent Garden, 1952
- Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 1953
- Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, music director, 1957–1963
- London Philharmonic Orchestra, music director, 1962–1966.
- Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, 1966
- Lyric Opera of Chicago, 1969
- Metropolitan Opera 1971, 1974–1979
- Huddersfield Choral Society, music director, 1973
- Cologne Opera, principal conductor, 1978
- Monnaie Opera Brussels, music director 1981
- BBC Symphony Orchestra, chief conductor 1982
- San Francisco Opera, music director, 1986-1989
At the time of his death he was preparing Wagner's Ring cycle for San Francisco.
Pritchard was awarded a CBE in 1962 and knighted in 1983. He died in Daly City, California.
[edit] Reference
Helen Conway Sir John Pritchard: His Life in Music, Andre Deutsch Ltd, 1994. ISBN 0-233-98845-9
| Preceded by Hugo Rignold |
Principal Conductor, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 1957–1963 |
Succeeded by Charles Groves |
| Preceded by William Steinberg |
Principal Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra 1962–1966 |
Succeeded by Bernard Haitink |
| Preceded by Gennady Rozhdestvensky |
Chief Conductor, BBC Symphony Orchestra 1982–1989 |
Succeeded by Andrew Davis |
