André Previn

Renowned conductor Andre Previn began his musical training as a child in Berlin, Germany, where he was born in 1929. While studying at the Berlin Conservatory, he was expelled because he was Jewish, and soon afterward his family fled the country to escape Nazi persecution. Resettling in California in 1939, Previn was hired by MGM studios at the young age of 16 to arrange, and later conduct scores for films, an experience that proved invaluable to his musical development. Though his early success in the 1950s, which owed much to his enthusiasm for jazz, he later turned almost exclusively to classical, recording piano and chamber music pieces for Columbia Records and conducting the St. Louis Symphony. In 1969, he became the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and was soon a public personality, frequently appearing on television to discuss music. While continuing to compose and perform piano, he also authored several books, including Andre Previn’s Guide to the Orchestra. Updated 2013