Topic: Andre Previn

André Previn (born April 6, 1929, Berlin, Germany) is a German-born American Academy and Grammy Award-winning pianist, conductor, and composer. He first came to prominence by arranging and composing Hollywood film scores in 1948.

André Previn was born as Andreas Ludwig Priwin to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His brother was the director Steve Previn (1925-1993). With his family, he emigrated to the United States in 1939 to escape the Nazi Regime in Germany. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1943, and grew up in Los Angeles. At his Summer 1946 graduation from Beverly Hills High School Previn played a musical duet with Richard M. Sherman: Previn played the piano, accompanying Sherman (who played flute). Coincidentally, twenty one years later, both composers won Oscars for different films, both winning in musical categories.

In 1967, Previn became music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In 1968, Previn began his tenure as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), serving in that post until 1979. During his LSO tenure, he and the LSO appeared on television in the programme André Previn's Music Night. From 1976-1984, Previn was music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), and in turn had another television series with the PSO titled Previn and the Pittsburgh. He was also principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.