Andrew Davis was one of the leading conductors of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and a well-known face at the BBC Proms music festival in London, among other things he was known for his humorous speeches. His agency confirmed the news of his death to BBC News on Sunday.
The current Principal Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, wrote on X: “I remember with the greatest respect and admiration all that Sir Andrew Davis has done for music and in particular for the BBC Symphony Orchestra over many decades”.
Andrew Davis was born in England in 1944, studied at the Royal College of Music and King’s College, Cambridge, and then began working as a conductor. He was also music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, and later held a senior position at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
His repertoire ranged from baroque to contemporary, and in 1992 he was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the British Empire. He retired from the BBC in 2000 and moved to the United States with his wife to take up the post of Music Director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Andrew Davis also lived in Chicago at the time of his death.
