Orchestral Leader
Twice concert leader of the London Symphony Orchestra during the 1960s and 70s, sitting at the head of the first violins for some eleven years in total.
John Georgiadis
Violinist & Conductor · 1939–2021
For eleven years the leader of the London Symphony Orchestra, and later a conductor and teacher at the Royal Academy of Music. This is a short account of his life and work.
His LifeHis Craft
Chamber Musician
A dedicated chamber player: director of the ensemble London Virtuosi and, from 1987 to 1990, first violin of the celebrated Gabrieli String Quartet.
Conductor & Teacher
Conductor of the Bangkok Symphony and Malaysian Philharmonic orchestras, and Director of Orchestral Studies at the Royal Academy of Music.
Life & Career
John Georgiadis spent his career at the front of the orchestra — first as one of Britain’s most respected orchestral leaders, then on the conductor’s podium and in the teaching studio.
Early years in Essex
John Alexander Georgiadis was born in Southend-on-Sea on 17 July 1939 and grew up in the neighbouring town of Laindon, Essex. His father, Alec, was an amateur violinist who put an instrument into his son’s hands at the age of six and encouraged him to practise. That early start carried him to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Frederick Grinke, and then to Paris for a year with René Benedetti.
Leader of the London Symphony Orchestra
Georgiadis is best remembered as leader of the London Symphony Orchestra. He held the post twice — from 1965 to 1973 and again from 1977 to 1979 — some eleven years in all at the head of the first violins. It is one of the most demanding jobs in British music: the leader sets the standard of the strings, shapes the sound from within the orchestra and acts as the link between the players and the conductor. Georgiadis filled that role through a rich period of the LSO’s recording and touring life.
Working with Celibidache
On his return to the orchestra in 1977 he began a close working relationship with the conductor Sergiu Celibidache that lasted some eight years. Celibidache’s exacting approach to rehearsal and to orchestral sound left a deep mark, and it fed directly into Georgiadis’s own growing interest in conducting.
Chamber music
Away from the symphony orchestra he was a busy chamber musician. He directed the ensemble London Virtuosi, and from 1987 to 1990 he played first violin in the Gabrieli String Quartet, one of the established British quartets of the day. Chamber playing kept him close to the intimate, conversational side of music-making that a large orchestra can rarely offer.
Conducting and teaching
From the mid-1970s Georgiadis turned increasingly to conducting, beginning with guest appearances leading British orchestras and going on to work with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He also served as Director of Orchestral Studies at the Royal Academy of Music, passing on to younger players the discipline and orchestral craft he had spent his own career mastering.
On record
His playing survives on a number of recordings made across his career, including releases on the Chandos label as both violinist and director — a reminder of the sound he shaped from the leader’s chair and, later, the podium.
Bow to Baton
In 2019 Georgiadis published his memoir, Bow to Baton: A Leader’s Life, a candid, first-hand account of his years leading the LSO and of the move from the violin to the conductor’s baton. The same year he underwent an operation to remove a brain tumour, and he died on 5 January 2021 at the age of eighty-one, remembered warmly by the orchestras and players he had worked alongside.
Partners & Friends
With thanks to the partners and sponsors who help keep this tribute to John Georgiadis online.
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A leader’s life
“The leader is the bridge between the conductor and the orchestra.” It was a role Georgiadis understood better than most, and one he wrote about with warmth and honesty in his 2019 memoir, Bow to Baton.
His Profile
- Full name
- John Alexander Georgiadis
- Born
- 17 July 1939, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
- Died
- 5 January 2021 (aged 81)
- Nationality
- British
- Instrument
- Violin
- Trained
- Royal Academy of Music
Key Milestones
- 1939Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
- 1965Becomes leader of the London Symphony Orchestra.
- 1977Returns as LSO leader; eight years working with Sergiu Celibidache.
- 1987Joins the Gabrieli String Quartet as first violin.
- 2019Publishes his memoir, Bow to Baton.
- 2021Dies on 5 January, aged 81.