David Atherton

English conductor
the baker

David Atherton (born 3 January 1944) is an English conductor and founder of the London Sinfonietta.

Atherton was born in Blackpool, Lancashire into a musical family. He was educated at Blackpool Grammar
School. His father, Robert Atherton, was the Music Master at St Joseph's College, Blackpool and was also a conductor. His mother was a singer. Atherton studied music at Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge.

In 1967 Atherton was founder of the London Sinfonietta and, as its Music Director, a position he held until 1973, gave the first performance of many important contemporary works. It is now widely regarded as one of the world's leading chamber orchestras. Also in 1967 he was invited to join the music staff of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, by Sir Georg Solti. In 1968 he became the youngest conductor ever to appear there, conducting Il trovatore. He spent twelve years as Resident Conductor, giving over 150 performances. Also in 1968 he was the youngest conductor in the history of the BBC Proms and subsequently appeared in thirty consecutive seasons. In 1976 he conducted for the first time at La Scala in Milan, Italy. In 1978 he conducted at the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California in the United States. Then in 1980 he was appointed Music Director of the San Diego Symphony, a post he held until 1987 and Principal Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. In 1989 he founded the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego and was appointed Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he held until 2000. In recognition of his services to the music of Hong Kong, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and the title of Conductor Laureate of the orchestra. In 1988 he was the conductor in a performance of Benjamin Britten's opera Billy Budd for the BBC and in 1995 he was the conductor in the English National Opera performance of Britten's opera Peter Grimes for the BBC.

Atherton married Ann Gianetta Drake in 1970, with whom he had three children, two daughters and a son. The couple separated in 1983. In 2012, he married his companion of 27 years, violinist Eleanor Ann Roth. His sister Joan is a freelance violinist who has held the position of Principal Second Violin with the London Sinfonietta since 1970. His eldest daughter Elizabeth is an opera singer.