Adrian Boult

British conductor (1889-1983) · United Kingdom · On the map · Musicians · Died at 93

Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company.

Adrian Boult is read about 59 times a day, in 25 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.

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Media & music

Photos 5

Christ Church, Oxford, where Boult was an undergraduate 1908-12

Broadcasting House, London, headquarters of the BBC, where Boult was director of music from 1930 to 1942

Guest conducting for Boult in the 1930s: from top left, clockwise, Beecham, Koussevitzky, Mengelberg, Richard Strauss, Toscanini, Walter, Webern, Weingartner.

Boult's first recordings with the LPO were of Elgar (top), Mahler and Beethoven (bottom).

Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham

Awards

Honorary Doctor of the Royal College of Music1982

Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal1944

Knight Bachelor

Order of the Companions of Honour

About this person

His first prominent post was conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1924. When the British Broadcasting Corporation appointed him director of music in 1930, he established the BBC Symphony Orchestra and became its chief conductor. The orchestra set standards of excellence that were rivalled in Britain only by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), founded two years later.

Country

United Kingdom