Andrew Litton Biography

Biography

An internationally acclaimed conductor, Andrew Litton’s distinguished career spans the world’s leading orchestras, opera houses and ballet companies. He is Music Director of the New York City Ballet and Conductor Laureate of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He was previously Music Director and Artistic Advisor of the Colorado Symphony and Music Director of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic, where he led the orchestra through extensive touring and recordings, including debuts at the BBC Proms, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna’s Musikverein, Berlin’s Philharmonie and Carnegie Hall. In recognition of his contribution to Norway’s musical life, he was awarded the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit by King Harald V.

As Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (1994–2006), Litton led three European tours, appeared four times at Carnegie Hall, created a nationally broadcast children’s television series, produced 28 recordings and helped grow the orchestra’s endowment from $19 million to $100 million. He also served as Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra from 1988 to 1994, leading its first American tour and making 14 recordings, including the GRAMMY® winning Belshazzar’s Feast.

A highly sought after guest conductor on the international stage, Litton continues to work regularly with leading orchestras across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Recent engagements include the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Symphony Orchestra of India, Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, South Netherlands Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Adelaide Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival, and the Dallas and Royal Swedish Orchestras. He also returns regularly to the Singapore Symphony, where he was formerly Principal Guest Conductor.

Highlights of the 2026/27 season include returns to the Colorado, Phoenix and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, as well as debuts with Opera Roma Ballet and NSO Taiwan, alongside a full season with New York City Ballet.

Litton’s work with New York City Ballet has earned praise from dancers, critics and audiences, bringing fresh prominence to the company’s orchestra. He began his ballet career as an onstage pianist at Juilliard, performing with Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Cynthia Gregory. He made his Royal Ballet debut in December 2023 and debuted with the Bayerisches Staatsballett in 2024.

A frequent opera conductor with a strong theatrical sense, Litton has led performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Australian Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin. He played a key role in founding Bergen National Opera and conducted many of its acclaimed productions. As Artistic Director of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest for 14 years, he concluded each season with sold out opera performances including Salome, Der Rosenkavalier, Madama Butterfly, Tosca and La Traviata. In 2021, he conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for the Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

An accomplished pianist, Litton frequently conducts from the keyboard. A leading Gershwin expert, he advises the University of Michigan Gershwin Archives and has recorded the composer’s works extensively. His concert suite of Porgy and Bess is widely performed, while his solo album A Tribute to Oscar Peterson reflects his lifelong love of jazz. His discography includes more than 140 recordings, with honours including the Classical Brits/BBC Critics Award for his Rachmaninoff concertos with Stephen Hough and a Grammy® nomination for Sweeney Todd with the New York Philharmonic and Patti LuPone.

A New York native, Andrew earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano and Conducting from The Juilliard School, later serving as assistant conductor at La Scala and with the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich. His honours include Norway’s Royal Order of Merit, Yale University’s Sanford Medal, the Elgar Society Medal and an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University.

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