Atherton, David (1944- )

English conductor. He conducted opera at Cambridge, and Il Trovatore at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1967. In 1976 he led the first performance of Henze's We Come to the River, and in 1968 gave the first performance of Birtwistle's Punch and Judy (at Aldeburgh), and became the youngest conductor ever at Promenade Concerts. He founded the London Sinfonietta in 1968 and gave frequent performances of modern music. He was musical director at the San Diego Symphony Orchestra 1981-87, resident conductor at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1968-80, and principal guest conductor at the BBC Symphony Orchestra 1985-90 and the Hong Kong Philharmonic 1989. He conducted Il barbiere di Siviglia at the New York Metropolitan Opera House in 1995.