Born in New York City, Andrew Litton earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School in piano and conducting. He is music director of the New York City Ballet, principal guest conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Music director laureate of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Litton led the orchestra for a period of 12 years (2003–15) during which it gained international recognition through extensive recording and touring. For his work with the orchestra, Litton was presented with the Royal Order of Merit by King Harald V of Norway. Other honours include Yale’s Sanford Medal, the Elgar Society Medal and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bournemouth.
Past commitments as a conductor include periods as principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and a 14-year tenure as artistic director of the Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest. Litton regularly guest conducts leading orchestras around the globe. An avid opera conductor, he has led major opera companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Deutsche Oper Berlin. In Norway, he was key to founding the Bergen National Opera; he also often conducts semi-staged opera programmes with symphony orchestras. An extensive and wide-ranging discography numbers more than 130 recordings, which have garnered America’s Grammy Award, France’s Diapason d’Or and other honours.
Andrew Litton often performs as a piano soloist, conducting from the keyboard. An acknowledged expert on George Gershwin, he has performed and recorded Gershwin widely as both pianist and conductor and serves as advisor to the University of Michigan Gershwin Archives. In 2014 he released his first solo piano album, ‘A Tribute to Oscar Peterson’, testimony to his passion for jazz.
For further information, please visit Andrew Litton's website.
