Andrew Litton

Andrew Litton (born May 16, 1959, New York City) is an American orchestral conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School.

Biography

He studied piano with Nadia Reisenberg and conducting with Sixten Ehrling at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, receiving his Bachelor of Music degree and his Master of Music degree in piano and conducting. He also received lessons in conducting from Walter Weller at the Salzburg Mozarteum and Edoardo Müller in Milan. His early teachers included John DeMaio. The youngest-ever winner of the BBC International Conductors Competition in 1982, he served as Assistant Conductor at Teatro alla Scala and Exxon/Arts Endowment Assistant Conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. under Mstislav Rostropovich (1982-1985), where subsequently he was Associate Conductor (1985-1986).{{Cite web|title=Andrew Litton (Biography) - Short Biography|url=https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Litton-Andrew.htm|access-date=2021-12-09|website=www.bach-cantatas.com}} Litton was a participant in the Affiliate Artists Exxon-Arts Endowment Conductors Program.Holland, Bernard, [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/20/arts/music-young-musicians-sell-their-wares-door-to-door.html "Music: Young Musicians Sell Their Wares Door to Door"], New York Times, August 20, 1989 In 2003, he was awarded Yale University's Sanford Medal.

Litton started his conducting career with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where he served as the principal conductor from 1988 to 1994, and is now its conductor laureate. He served for twelve seasons as Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1994 to 2006,{{cite news | author=Richard Morrison | title=ENO regrets? No, just plans | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article598649.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517030422/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article598649.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 17, 2011 | work=The Times | date=2005-12-02 | access-date=2007-03-10}} following which he was named Music Director Emeritus. From 2003 to 2017, he was Artistic Director of the Sommerfest concerts of the Minnesota Orchestra.

He has been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway since 2003. In June 2008, his contract with the Bergen Philharmonic was extended through the 2010–2011 season.Charlotte Smith, "Andrew Litton extends his contract as Bergen Philharmonic music director". Gramophone, 12 June 2008. In March 2011, his Bergen contract was further extended through 2015.{{cite news | author=Åge Algerøy & Halvor Folgerø | title=Smilande dirigent tar fire nye år | url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/hordaland/1.7562792 | work=NRK | date=2011-03-23 | access-date=2011-08-21}} He concluded his Bergen tenure in 2015 and to take the title of conductor laureate with the orchestra.{{cite news | title=Edward Gardner to head the Bergen Philharmonic | url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/edward-gardner-to-head-the-bergen-philharmonic | work=Gramophone| date=2013-02-18 | access-date=2013-02-28}} In June 2012, Litton accepted the post of Artistic Adviser with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra through the 2014–2015 season beginning September 1, 2012.{{cite web|last=Wenzel|first=John|title=Andrew Litton plans to take Colorado Symphony Orchestra on tour, on CD|date=25 June 2012 |publisher=Denver Post|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2012/06/25/andrew-litton-plans-to-take-colorado-symphony-orchestra-on-tour-on-cd/}} In August 2013, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra elevated Litton's title to Music Director, with immediate effect.{{cite press release|url=https://coloradosymphony.org/pdfs/Litton_Music_Director_Press_Release_-_Final.pdf |title=Andrew Litton Named Colorado Symphony Music Director |publisher=Colorado Symphony Orchestra |date=20 August 2013 |access-date=2013-08-25 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news | author=Ray Mark Rinaldi | title=CSO conductor Litton named orchestra music director | url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23904986/cso-conductor-litton-named-orchestra-music-director | work=Denver Post | date=2013-08-21 | access-date=2013-08-25}} In December 2014, New York City Ballet appointed Litton its next music director, effective in September 2015.{{cite news | author=Michael Cooper | title=Andrew Litton to Lead New York City Ballet Orchestra | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/arts/dance/andrew-litton-to-lead-new-york-city-ballet-orchestra.html | work=New York Times | date=2014-12-17 | access-date=2014-12-17}}{{Cite web|last1=TASS|last2=Bekreneva|first2=Alexandra|date=2014-12-24|title=New NYCB director discusses his Russian roots|url=https://www.rbth.com/arts/2014/12/24/new_nycb_director_discusses_his_russian_roots_42519.html|access-date=2021-12-09|website=www.rbth.com|language=en-US}} In September 2015, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra announced that Litton is to stand down from his post as the orchestra's music director after the 2015–2016 season, and to become the orchestra's artistic advisor and principal guest conductor through the 2017–2018 season.{{cite press release | url=https://www.coloradosymphony.org/Press-Releases/ID/313/Andrew-Litton-Becomes-Colorado-Symphony-Artistic-Advisor-and-Principal-Guest-Conductor | title=Andrew Litton To Become Colorado Symphony Artistic Advisor and Principal Guest Conductor | publisher=Colorado Symphony Orchestra | date=2015-09-15 | access-date=2016-01-04}} In May 2017, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra announced Litton as their new Principal Guest Conductor, to begin September 2017.{{cite press release|url= https://www.sso.org.sg/press/press-releases/announcements/andrew-litton-appointed-principal-guest-conductor-of-the-singapore-symphony-orchestra |title=Andrew Litton Appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra |publisher=Singapore Symphony Orchestra |date=15 May 2017 |access-date=2017-09-13 }}

Litton's recordings include a Grammy-winning William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast with Bryn Terfel and the Bournemouth Symphony, a set of Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos with pianist Stephen Hough, a live performance recording of Sweeney Todd, performed with the New York Philharmonic, which received a Grammy nomination. Other recordings: a Decca Walton Centennial boxed set, the complete Tchaikovsky Symphonies with the Bournemouth Symphony, the complete Rachmaninoff Symphonies with the Royal Philharmonic, Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and many Gershwin recordings, both as conductor and pianist, with the Dallas Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, and Royal Philharmonic. Litton is one of the ambassadors to Music Traveler, together with Billy Joel, Hans Zimmer, John Malkovich, Sean Lennon, Adrien Brody.

References

External links

[http://andrewlitton.com/ Andrew Litton Official Website]
[http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/about/artists-and-performers/artistic-roster/19-andrew-litton Minnesota Orchestra profile of Andrew Litton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115222808/http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/about/artists-and-performers/artistic-roster/19-andrew-litton |date=2014-01-15 }}
[http://www.bruceduffie.com/litton.html Interview with Andrew Litton], August 20, 1993

{{succession box

| title = Principal Conductor, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

| before = Rudolf Barshai

| years = 1988–1994

| after = Yakov Kreizberg

}}

{{succession box

| title = Principal Conductor, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

| before = Simone Young

| years = 2003–2015

| after = Edward Gardner

}}