Braithwaite, (Henry) Warwick
Braithwaite, (Henry) Warwick
Braithwaite, (Henry) Warwick New Zealand conductor, father of Nicholas (Paul Dallon) Braithwaite; b. Dunedin, Jan. 9, 1896; d. London, Jan. 18, 1971. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London; won the Challen Gold Medal and the Battison Hayes Prize. He began his career as a conductor with the O’Mara Opera Co.; then conducted with the British National Opera Co. He was asst. music director of the BBC; then went to its Cardiff studio in Wales as music director; also conducted the Cardiff Musical Soc. (1924–31). He was a founder of the Welsh National Orch. From 1932 to 1940 he was a conductor at the Sadler’s Wells Opera in London; then he led the Scottish Orch. in Glasgow (1940–46). Later he was a ballet conductor at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, in London (1950–53); then conducted the National Orch. of New Zealand and served as artistic director of the National Opera of Australia (1954–55). From 1956 to 1960 he was music director of the Welsh National Opera; then was again a conductor at Sadler’s Wells until 1968. He publ. The Conductor’s Art (London, 1952).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire