Groves, Sir Charles (Barnard)
Groves, Sir Charles (Barnard)
Groves, Sir Charles (Barnard), distinguished English conductor; b. London, March 10, 1915; d. there, June 20, 1992. He received training in piano and organ at the Royal Coll. of Music in London. In 1938 he joined the BBC as a chorus master, and then was assoc. conductor of the BBC Theatre Orch. (1942-44) and subsequently conductor of the BBC Northern Orch. in Manchester (1944-51). In 1951 he became conductor of the Bournemouth Municipal Orch.; after it was renamed the Bournemouth Sym. Orch. in 1954, he continued as its conductor until 1961. After serving as music director of the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff (1961-63), he was principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Phil, from 1963 to 1977. He launched the career of several conductors through his sponsorship of the Liverpool International Conductors’ Competition. In 1978-79 he was music director of the English National Opera in London, and later was principal conductor of the Guildford Phil. (from 1986). In 1958 he was made an Officer and in 1968 a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 1973 he was knighted. Groves acquitted himself admirably as a conductor of the orch., operatic, and choral repertory.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire