Peter Maxwell Davies
English composer and conductor, Master of the Queen's Music from 2004
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Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music.
Lore & Background
Davies co-founded the New Music Manchester ensemble with fellow students including Harrison Birtwistle and Alexander Goehr. His output includes eight stage works and ten symphonies. He served as artistic director of the Dartington International Summer School and later as associate conductor and composer for both the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also composer in residence at the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium.
Did You Know?
- Davies was openly homosexual throughout his adult life.
- He was an atheist despite sometimes setting sacred texts.
- He was one of the first classical composers to open a music download website, MaxOpus, in 1996.
- He was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 2014 New Year Honours.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Peter Maxwell Davies (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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