André Previn was a German-born American conductor and composer.
Previn came to prominence by arranging and composing Hollywood film scores, first working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when he was still in high school in 1946. Previn worked on the music for over 50 films during his career.
He won four Academy Awards for his work on Gigi (1958), Porgy & Bess (1959), Irma la Douce (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964), and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings, including the soundtrack albums for Gigi and Porgy and Bess.
André Previn was a German-born American conductor and composer.
Previn came to prominence by arranging and composing Hollywood film scores, first working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when he was still in high school in 1946. Previn worked on the music for over 50 films during his career.
He won four Academy Awards for his work on Gigi (1958), Porgy & Bess (1959), Irma la Douce (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964), and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings, including the soundtrack albums for Gigi and Porgy and Bess.
He was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, including nominations for Outstanding Classical Music Program, and Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction.
Previn had been the music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Oslo Philharmonic, as well as the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1996, Previn was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Two years later, he was recognized with a Kennedy Center honor for his contributions to classic music and opera.
Previn died February 28, 2019, in Manhattan, New York. He was 89.
