Howard Ellis Carr

Howard Ellis Carr
Portrait of Howard Carr in March 1921.[1]
Born
Howard Ellis Carr

(1880-12-26)26 December 1880
Manchester, England
Died16 November 1960(1960-11-16) (aged 79)
Kensington, London, England
Occupation(s)Composer, conductor, administrator

Howard Ellis Carr (26 December 1880 - 16 November 1960) was a British composer and conductor who worked in both Britain and Australia during his career. He was a prolific composer of theatre, operetta and light orchestral music, as well as orchestral works.

In his early career Carr worked as a conductor and musical director in theatres and touring productions, including working for two years in Australia. After returning to England in late 1909 he established a reputation as a specialist in theatrical orchestration. During World War I and afterwards his orchestral compositions were performed at the promenade concerts at Queen's Hall. In the 1920s he was conductor of the Municipal Orchestra at Harrogate in North Yorkshire. Carr returned to Australia in 1928. After several years as musical director in theatrical productions, he took on roles such as teaching at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney and a conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Society. In the mid-1930s he worked on orchestration for radio broadcasts. Carr returned to England in 1938 where he worked for the BBC.

  1. ^ There are photographs of Carr dated 1918 and 1921 at the National Portrait Gallery: Howard Carr, National Portrait Gallery website; accessed 16 September.