Adrian Brown (musician)

Adrian Brown (born 1949) - educated in Ipswich, Suffolk (Northgate Grammar School for Boys) from a distinguished line of pupils of Sir Adrian Boult. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in London, he studied with Boult with whom he worked for some years. He remains the only British conductor to have reached the finals of the Karajan Conductors' Competition and the Berlin Philharmonic was the first professional orchestra he conducted. Sir Adrian said of his work: "He has always impressed me as a musician of exceptional attainments who has all the right gifts and ideas to make him a first class conductor".

In 1992, Brown was engaged to conduct the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1998 he was invited to work with the Camerata Salzburg, at the invitation of Sir Roger Norrington.

Brown has conducted many leading British orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony, the BBC Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony and the London Sinfonietta. He is also a great proponent of contemporary music and has several first performances to his credit.

Working with young musicians has been an area where Brown has made a singular contribution to the musical life of not only this country, but also in Europe, in Japan and the Philippines. He has been a frequent visitor to conduct both the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, working closely with Sir Colin Davis and Sir Roger Norrington, and the National Youth Wind Orchestra. He regularly runs courses for young musicians and his success in this general area was recognised when he was given the Novello Award for Youth Orchestras at the 1989 Edinburgh Festival conducting Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra with whom he has been Musical Director for thirty-seven years.

He has returned to conduct at the Royal Academy of Music and has been a regular chairman of the jury for the National Association of Youth Orchestras' Conducting Competition. He took the Chair again in January 2006.

In 1996 he went to Japan to work with the Toyama Toho Academy Orchestra, a visit that was received with much acclaim from all those with whom he worked.

Many engagements have included performances of Tippett's 'Child of Our Time', Verdi's Requiem and the works of Berlioz, Elgar and Vaughan Williams, all much admired. He received rave reviews in 'The Guardian' for a performance of Strauss's 'Feuersnot' with the Chelsea Opera Group and for his 'Ein Heldenleben'. He has performed successful concerts with the Salomon Orchestra, returning to them in February 2005 for a Concert at St. John's, Smith Square, performing British music including Tippett's Concerto for Orchestra and receiving great acclamation for his interpretation.

2005 saw many concerts of music celebrating the Centenary of Sir Michael Tippett. He also joined the panel of jury members of Music for Youth as well as accepting invitations to perform with the Isle of Wight Symphony, Bromley Ecumenical Singers, Herts Philharmonia and toured Dresden and Prague.

2006 included performances of Shostakovitch with Suffolk Sinfonia in St. Edmundsbury Cathedral and LSO St. Lukes; a return to Elgar/Payne Symphony No.3 in a concert of Anthony Payne's work; the climax of the Bromley Symphony Season was a stunning Mahler Third Symphony. He again joined the Panel for the Making Music Awards. In the summer of 2006 he conducted a tour to Salzburg for a Mozart Festival with Stoneleigh Youth and in 2007 a tour to Provence.

The 2007-8 season saw concerts in Snape Maltings celebrating the Elgar Anniversary, a performance of 'Hansel und Gretel', and engagements with Huntingdonshire Phiharmonic and Southgate Symphony (based near his home in North London). A full season with Bromley Symphony of Elgar's Second, Bruckner Seventh, Tchaikovsky Fourth and Holst's 'The Planets' was performed. 30 years of wonderful concerts with Waveney Sinfonia were celebrated with their dedicated musicians and audience.

For his 60th birthday year in 2009, Brown was appointed Music Director of Huntingdonshire Philharmonic performing Beethoven's 'Choral' Symphony and has conducted many works on a 'celebration 'wish list' including Sibelius' Fourth and Mahler's Ninth and Elgar's First. He also had a major success conducting the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra in Vilnius performing Berlioz in a concert broadcast nationally. Bromley Symphony honoured him with a 30th Anniversary/60th Birthday concert in November.

Future plans include a performance of Elgar's 'The Dream of Gerontius' in Ely Cathedral with Hunts Phil, a debut with the Corinthian Orchestra and an important lecture to the Berlioz Society.

Brown was one of a hundred musicians presented with a prestigious Classic FM Award at their Tenth Birthday Honours Celebration in June 2002.^[1]

References