Andrew Litton Biography

Biography

Andrew Litton is Music Director of the New York City Ballet and Conductor Laureate of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He was previously Music Director of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic, where he led the orchestra to international acclaim through extensive touring and recordings, including debuts at the BBC Proms, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna’s Musikverein, Berlin’s Philharmonie, and Carnegie Hall. For his contributions, he was awarded the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit by King Harald V.

Litton 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. As Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (1994–2006), he 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 continues to guest conduct widely, with recent engagements including the Vancouver Symphony, South Netherlands Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Seattle Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Symphony Orchestra of India, Grant Park Music Festival, and the Dallas and Royal Swedish Orchestras. He also returns regularly to the Bergen and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras and the Singapore Symphony, where he was formerly Principal Guest Conductor.

Highlights of the 2025/26 season include performances with the Colorado, Phoenix, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras, a return to Galicia, and a full season at New York City Ballet. 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.

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.

An accomplished pianist, he frequently conducts from the keyboard, most recently in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Adelaide Symphony and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in Singapore. 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. His solo album A Tribute to Oscar Peterson reflects his lifelong love of jazz. His discography includes over 140 recordings, with honours such as 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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