Harewood, Sir George (Henry Hubert La-Scelles), 7th Earl of
Harewood, Sir George (Henry Hubert La-Scelles), 7th Earl of
Harewood, Sir George (Henry Hubert La-Scelles), 7th Earl of, distinguished English arts administrator, music critic, and music editor; b. London, Feb. 7, 1923. He was educated at Eton and King’s Coll., Cambridge. In 1950 he founded the journal Opera, of which he was ed. until 1953. He was on the board of directors of the Royal Opera at Covent Garden (1951-53; 1969-72), serving as its administrative executive (1953–60). He was general-director of the Leeds Festival (1958–74), later serving as its chairman (1988–90), and also director of the Edinburgh Festivals (1961–65) and chancellor of the Univ. of York (1962–67). In 1972 he was appointed managing director of the Sadler’s Wells Opera (known after 1974 as the English National Opera) in London. He retained this position until 1985, and then was its chairman from 1986. In 1988 he was artistic director of the Adelaide Festival. He was knighted in 1987. He ed. Kobbé’s Complete Opera Book in 1954, 1963, and 1972; it was publ, as The New Kobbé’s Complete Opera Book in 1976, then as The Definitive Kobbé’s Opera Book (1987). His autobiography was publ, as The Tongs and the Bones (1982).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire