Beecham, Sir Thomas 1879-1961
English conductor and impresario

Born in St Helens, Lancashire, he was educated at Rossall School and Wadham College, Oxford. He began his career as a conductor with the New Symphony Orchestra at the Wigmore Hall in 1906 and, as impresario and producer of opera, later introduced 60 works unknown to British audiences, as well as Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. He was principal conductor (1932) and artistic director (1933) of Covent Garden, and in 1943 conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. In 1946 he founded the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted at Glyndebourne from 1948 to 1949. Beecham did much to champion the works of Frederick Delius, Jean Sibelius and Richard Strauss, and was noted for his candid pronouncements on musical matters, for his 'Lollipop' encores (of popular works of classical music), and for his after-concert speeches. He was the son of the famous 'pill millionaire', Sir Joseph Beecham (1848-1916).