Sir Andrew Davis, former conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, died of Leukemia on Saturday, at the age of 80. Davis led the TSO for thirteen years, from 1975-1988, making his tenure the third-longest in the orchestra’s history. In 2018, he returned to the orchestra for two years, acting as interim director between Peter Oundjian and Gustavo Gimeno.
Sir Andrew Davis
In 2012, Davis earned a Juno Award for his recording of Massenet’s Thais with the TSO. His final performance with the orchestra was in November of 2023, when he conducted them alongside the Amadeus Choir in a performance of Fauré’s Requiem and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. Current TSO conductor, Gustavo Gimeno, described Davis as “warm, cheerful, insightful, and humble” in a tribute posted to his social media on Sunday.
Sir Andrew Davis with Soprano Renee Fleming
Davis studied at the Royal Academy of Music, as well as King’s College Cambridge. He continued his training as a keyboardist at the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and in Rome, where he studied with conductor Franco Ferrara.
Sir Andrew Davis conducts the TSO, Photo by Malcolm Cook
Throughout his career, Davis led numerous orchestras and opera companies, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. He also conducted performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, and Bayreuth Festival, to name a few. Davis was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours List of 1999.
