Balkwill, Bryan (Havell)

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Balkwill, Bryan (Havell)

Balkwill, Bryan (Havell), English conductor; b. London, July 2, 1922. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was an asst. conductor of the New London Opera Co. (1947–48) and assoc. conductor of the International Ballet Co. (1948–49); then was music director of the London Festival Ballet (1950–52) and of Opera for All (1953–63); also conducted at the Glyndebourne Festivals (1950–58), and in London at Covent Garden (from 1953) and at the Sadler’s Wells Opera (from 1957). From 1959 to 1965 he was resident conductor at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; then was music director of the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff (1963–67) and of the Sadler’s Wells Opera (1966–69). He served as a prof. of music at the Ind. Univ. School of Music in Bloomington from 1978 to 1992.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire