David Cripps' Biography

     The British-born conductor, hornist and teacher,
David Cripps, is one of the most distinguished and
experienced performing musicians and peda-
gogues on the scene today.  He began playing the
horn at the age of fourteen, was quickly accepted
into the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain,
where he became Principal Horn almost immed-
iately, and made his solo debut in London's Royal
Festival Hall, performing Mozart's 4th Horn Con-
certo under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent.  He
was awarded an Open Scholarship to the Royal
Academy of Music, London, where he studied horn
and conducting, winning all available prizes.
     There followed a succession of Principal Horn
appointments - BBC National Orchestra of Wales,
Hallé Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, culmi-
nating in a ten-year spell as Principal Horn in the
London Symphony Orchestra.  This period included
the music directorships of André Previn and Claudio
Abbado, and included guest conducting appear-
ances of Bernstein, Ozawa, Böhm, Kubelik, and
many other legendary names.  As well as many
solo appearences with all these orchestras, he was
involved in such diverse achievements as playing
over thirty performances of Mahler's 5th Symphony
with Claudio Abbado in UK and on tours around the
world, and leading the Horn Section with the LSO in
all the original soundtracks of the Star Wars and
Superman movies with John Williams.
     David was also highly active and in great de-
mand as a freelance studio musician in London,
playing in countless movie, TV and audio sessions.
The list of London contractors who have employed
him includes Sidney Sax and the National Philhar-