ANTHONY COLLINS (1893 - 1963)
Anthony Collins studied violin and composition at the Royal College of Music, London, from 1920, and began his career as an orchestral player. From 1926 he was for ten years principal viola with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Covent Garden Orchestra. For the rest of his career his activities were fairly equally divided between conducting (opera to begin with, then symphonic work) and composition. He went to the United States in 1939, where his career in films began, writing film scores for RKO in Hollywood.
He was also in demand as a conductor, in which role he was active in promoting interest in British music. This advocacy he continued with British orchestras when he returned to this country both during and after Second World War, with numerous concerts and fine recordings of Delius, Vaughan Williams and others. Besides his film scores Collins wrote two string symphonies, two violin concertos, four short operas, various choral and chamber works and songs, from time to time turning his hand also to light orchestral music.
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