English Orchestra conductor, born in Blackpool on January 3, 1944. He studied piano and conducting at Trinity College in Cambridge and, later, at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School in London. In 1967, he founded the London Sinfonietta Orchestra, of which he was director until 1973. Since 1968, he directs at Covent Garden, he has been the director invited younger. In 1976, he made his debut at la Scala in Milan and in 1978 at the San Francisco Opera. He has been resident conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra of San Diego and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras.
In 1989 all Mozart founded the Festival on San Diego-based. This same year he was appointed director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, where he served until 2000. He was appointed official of the most sublime order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of their musical work in Hong Kong.
He has been guest conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with the English National Opera, the Canadian Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera company and The Metropolitan Opera of New York. It has also participated in international Spring Music Festival in Prague and Berliner Festspiele with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Its repertoire, it is precise to emphasize dedication to the music of the 20th century. He has to his credit with the first comprehensive recording of the camera work and small orchestral Ensemble by Arnold Schönberg and the premiere of works of Taverner, Birstwhistle, Hans-Werner Henze or Hamilton.
In 1984 he directed The Midsummer Marriage, opera in three acts with music and libretto by Michael Tippett, to the Thames Television; in 1988, Billy Budd opera, performed by Benjamín Britten for the BBC; and in 1995 he directed at the English National Opera in its interpretation of the opera Peter Grimes by Benajamín Britten, also for the BBC.
His career has been awarded several prizes, among them: the Edison Award (1973), the Grand Prix du Disque (1977), the Caecilia Prize (1981) and the record international critics (1982) for his recording of the opera King Priam of Michael Tippett.
David Atherton married Ann Drake in 1970, with whom he had a son and two daughters, until their separation in 1983.