Conductor and Musician. Born into the poverty of a sharecropper in the rural county of Anson in North Carolina, George Byrd rose to become one of the leading orchestral conductors in Germany. He studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York City, The Conservatoire National in Paris, and in Lucerne, Switzerland, he would study under the Master Classical Conductor Herman Von Karejan. In a career that spanned over four decades he would perform with over 80 orchestras all over Europe and the United States. An American Conductor from 1980, he principally lived and worked in Germany. He was known for his mixed used of classical artists from Brahms to Beethoven to 20th Century composers such as George Gershwin. These performances would often use classical pieces but set to a Jazz or contemporary rhythm. Having studied in Europe since 1949, he became the first African-American to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Byrd eventually became the principle conductor of the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich, Germany.
Conductor and Musician. Born into the poverty of a sharecropper in the rural county of Anson in North Carolina, George Byrd rose to become one of the leading orchestral conductors in Germany. He studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York City, The Conservatoire National in Paris, and in Lucerne, Switzerland, he would study under the Master Classical Conductor Herman Von Karejan. In a career that spanned over four decades he would perform with over 80 orchestras all over Europe and the United States. An American Conductor from 1980, he principally lived and worked in Germany. He was known for his mixed used of classical artists from Brahms to Beethoven to 20th Century composers such as George Gershwin. These performances would often use classical pieces but set to a Jazz or contemporary rhythm. Having studied in Europe since 1949, he became the first African-American to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Byrd eventually became the principle conductor of the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich, Germany.
Bio by: Robert C. Peurifoy
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Gott gibt dem
Künstler durch
die Musik eine
Botschaft für
viele Menschen.
Ich habe sie angenommen und
mein Leben der Musik gewidmet.
Gravesite Details
The gravestone is the work of artist Heidi Bayer-Wech.
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