(b Oxford, 16 March 1934). English conductor. He studied at Cambridge and the RCM, sang as a professional tenor, 1962-70, and founded choirs specializing in the music of Schütz and Monteverdi. He was musical director of Kent Opera, 1969-84, conducting many performances of operas, from Monteverdi to Verdi, in period performances. With his groups the London Baroque and London Classical Players, giving performances of many repertory works of the 18th and early 19th centuries (including arresting ones of Haydn's Creation and Beethoven's symphonies), he has done much to make a wider public aware of the significance of period-style performance.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.