Hugh Maguire (violinist) facts for kids

Andrew Hugh Michael Maguire (born August 2, 1926 – died June 14, 2013) was a very talented Irish violinist. He was known for being a top player and leader in many famous orchestras. He also taught music at the Royal Academy of Music and helped young musicians in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Hugh Maguire was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was one of six children, and amazingly, all of them became professional musicians! His father, Elias, was a headmaster and a singer. He started teaching Hugh to play the violin when Hugh was just six years old.

Hugh showed incredible talent from a young age. By the time he was 12, he had already won every major prize for violin playing at music festivals across Ireland. This showed everyone how special his musical abilities were.

In 1944, when he was 18, Hugh won a four-year scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London. This is a very famous music school. While there, he continued to win many awards for his violin playing and for playing in a music group called a quartet. He even led the school's main orchestra for two years.

Leading Famous Orchestras

After his studies, Hugh Maguire quickly joined the world of professional orchestras. In 1949, he was part of the first violin section of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He also spent time in Paris, learning from a legendary violinist named George Enescu, who he said taught him the most.

In 1952, Hugh became the leader of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The leader of an orchestra is called the concertmaster. It's a very important role! He then spent a short time as a sub-leader for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

From 1956 to 1961, Hugh was the leader of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). This is one of the world's most famous orchestras. He was part of a group of younger musicians who helped make big changes to the orchestra. In 1959, he was honored by becoming a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

In 1962, he moved to lead the BBC Symphony Orchestra, staying there until 1967. Later, from 1983 to 1991, he was the leader of the orchestra at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Chamber Music and Teaching

Hugh Maguire was also very active in chamber music. This is music played by a small group of musicians. In 1959, he helped start the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Neville Marriner. This group became very famous for its beautiful performances.

He was also a fantastic teacher. During the 1960s, he played in a piano trio with two other famous musicians: Jacqueline du Pré (a cellist) and Fou Ts'ong (a pianist). He also led the Cremona Quartet.

From 1974, he led the Melos Ensemble, another important chamber music group. In 1978, he was invited to join the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies. Here, he directed the string studies program, teaching young violinists, violists, and cellists. He stayed in this role until 2002.

Hugh Maguire became the leader of the Allegri Quartet in 1968. This quartet played many important pieces of music. A famous composer named Sir Malcolm Arnold even dedicated one of his string quartets to Hugh in 1975.

Hugh taught as a professor at the Royal Academy of Music for 26 years. He was also the artistic director of the Irish Youth Orchestra and a violin tutor for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He held special teaching sessions called master classes at Aldeburgh Music.

Personal Life

Hugh Maguire was married and had five children: three daughters and two sons. He was married to Tricia Catchpole from 1988 until her passing in 2013.