Davies, (Albert) Meredith
Davies, (Albert) Meredith
Davies, (Albert) Meredith , English organist, conductor, and music educator; b. Birkenhead, July 30, 1922. He studied at the Royal Coll. of Music in London and was an organ scholar at Keble Coll., Oxford, later becoming organist at St. Albans Cathedral (1947) and at Hereford Cathedral (1949). He then pursued conducting studies with Previtali at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1954, 1956). He was organist at New Coll., Oxford (1956–60), assoc. conductor (1957–59) and deputy music director (1959–60) of the City of Birmingham Sym. Orch., and director of the City of Birmingham Choir (1957–64). Davies was music director of the English Opera Group in London (1963–65) and of the Vancouver (B.C.) Sym. Orch. (1964–71), and also chief conductor of the BBC Training Orch. in London (1969–72). He was conductor of the Royal Choral Soc. of London (1972–85) and of the Leeds Phil. (1975–84). From 1979 to 1988 he was principal of Trinity Coll. of Music in London. In 1982 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire