James Loughran

1931 -

Conductor. Born in Glasgow, Loughran was educated at St Aloysius' College in the city. He began his career working in Bonn and Amsterdam but gained attention when he won the Philharmonia Orchestra's Conducting Competition. He was then appointed Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (1962-5) and then returned to Glasgow to conduct the the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (1965-71). He introduced the SSO to wider audiences through their first public concerts and took them to the Edinburgh Festival annually. He then served as Conductor to the Halle Orchestra (1971-83) and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (1979-83). He has been Chief Conductor of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in Denmark since 1996. He has proved popular with audiences during his regular appearances at the Last Night of the Proms.

Loughran is a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and has served as President of the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra.

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