Alldis, John
Alldis, John
Alldis, John, English conductor; b. London, Aug. 10, 1929. He was a choral scholar under Boris Ord at King’s Coll., Cambridge (1949–52; M.A., 1957). In 1962 he founded the John Alldis Choir, which soon achieved distinction under his discerning guidance. He also founded the London Sym. Orch. Chorus in 1966, and served as its director until 1969. From 1966 to 1979 he was a prof. and in 1976 a Fellow at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He was conductor of the London Phil. Choir from 1969 to 1982, and he also served as joint chief conductor of Radio Denmark in Copenhagen (1971–77) and as conductor of the Groupe Vocal de France (1979–83). From 1989 to 1991 he was music consultant of the Israel Chamber Choir. In 1992 he became chorus master of the Hallé Choir in Manchester. He was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in 1984. Alldis’s repertoire is enormous, ranging from early music to contemporary scores.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire