Pritchard, Sir John (1921-1989), a British opera and orchestral conductor, was particularly noted for his support of modern music. He conducted the premieres of several orchestral works and operas. Pritchard held four major positions at the same time during the 1980’s. He was chief conductor of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1989. He was chief conductor of Cologne Opera from 1978 and chief conductor of the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels from 1981. He was also music director of the San Francisco Opera from 1986 until his death on Dec. 5, 1989.
John Michael Pritchard was born on Feb. 5, 1921, in London. He served as conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra from 1957 to 1963. From 1962 to 1966, Pritchard was musical director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He was musical director of Glyndebourne Opera from 1969 to 1977. Pritchard was knighted in 1983.
