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photograph © Danny Turner

Andrew Litton

Andrew Litton is currently in his fifth season as the first American Music Director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra of Norway with whom he has already led several major international tours including the London Proms in August 2007 and several visits to the Vienna Musikverein. Litton brought his Bergen Philharmonic musicians to the United States in the fall of 2007 - with concerts in the major cities of the East Coast including an appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall.

Litton also serves as the highly acclaimed Artistic Director of the Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest where, thanks to his multiple talents as conductor, solo pianist and chamber musician, he has singly raised the artistic profile and public success of the festival to an unprecedented level over the past five years under his leadership.

He continues his post as Conductor Laureate of Britain's Bournemouth Symphony, which he headed as Music Director from 1988 to 1994.

Having served twelve seasons as Music Director of the Dallas Symphony, New York-born Andrew Litton is also one of but a handful of Americans to have led a major American orchestra. During his tenure he raised the orchestra's international profile, led the orchestra on three major European tours, appeared four times at Carnegie Hall, and produced over 25 recordings, one of the largest recent outputs of any American orchestra. The Dallas/Litton partnership, one of the longest and most successful in America, has been extended through the 2008-09 season with Litton serving as Music Director Emeritus of the orchestra.

This season (2007-08) sees Maestro Litton return to the NHK Symphony Tokyo, the BBC Symphony at the Barbican London, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the orchestras of Bournemouth, Ottawa and Dallas. In September 2007, Litton conducted the world premiere of the John Tavener Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Nicola Benedetti as violin soloist. October 2007 brought Litton's Elgar tribute with the English Chamber Orchestra at London's Cadogan Hall.

Last season (2006-07), Maestro Litton made his Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich debut in addition to first appearances with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkuenstler Orchestra Vienna, the National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa, and the Milwaukee Symphony. He conducted the Chicago Symphony in two concerts at the 2007 Ravinia summer festival and recorded Ambrose Thomas' opera "Le Coeur de Celimene" with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.

In 2005-06, Mr. Litton made a triumphant and highly acclaimed return to the English National Opera in performances of Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd - the same production which also earned him rave reviews some years before at the Welsh National Opera. Litton also made his conducting debut with the Deutsche Oper Berlin that season to which he returns in January 2009.

He opened the 75th anniversary season of the Philadelphia Orchestra the Mann Center in July 2005 and returned there in summer 2006 to lead the orchestra again in two programs. He also headlined the Gala concert of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival in July, 2006 as a celebration of George Gershwin where he play-conducted Rhapsody in Blue from the keyboard.

Highlights of the 2004-05 season included a return to Carnegie Hall leading the Dallas Symphony and Chorus in Orff's Carmina Burana, guest appearances with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, a debut with the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, as well as a major European tour with the Bergen Philharmonic, including three programs in Vienna.

Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic have begun a recording relationship with BIS records with their first release of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. The BIS project will continue with complete symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn and the major Stravinsky ballets.

Litton's complete Rachmaninov Concerto series for Hyperion, recorded live in concert with pianist Stephen Hough and the Dallas Symphony, won both the Grammophone Magazine Award and the coveted 2005 Classical Brits/BBC Critics Award, after having received extraordinary critical acclaim worldwide. A complete set of the Four Symphonies of Charles Ives with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra was recently release on Hyperion.

Litton has appeared as guest conductor with more than 110 of the world's top orchestras and opera companies, including those of New York, Moscow, Tokyo, Israel, France, all the major orchestras of Britain, and the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, and the opera houses of Dallas, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.

Litton's more than 60 recordings include a Grammy winning Walton's Belshazzar's Feast with Bryn Terfel and the Bournemouth Symphony, and a live performance recording of Sweeney Todd with the New York Philharmonic (Grammy nomination), a Decca Walton Centennial boxed set, and the complete Tchaikovsky Symphonies with the Bournemouth Symphony, the complete Rachmaninov Symphonies with the Royal Philharmonic and many Gershwin recordings, both as conductor and pianist, with the Dallas Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, and Royal Philharmonic.

Andrew Litton, a graduate of the Fieldston School, New York, received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Juilliard in piano and conducting. The youngest-ever winner of the BBC International Conductors Competition, he served as Assistant Conductor at Teatro alla Scala and Exxon/Arts Endowment Assistant Conductor for the National Symphony under Rostropovich. Andrew Litton holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of Bournemouth and is a recipient of Yale University's Sanford Medal for his musical achievements.

• website link for Andrew Litton: www.camihall.com/?cat=Conductor&webid=822
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