Harry Norris (conductor)

Harry Norris (23 November 1887 – 22 June 1979) was a New Zealand-born conductor best remembered as musical director of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1920 to 1929.

After leaving the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1929, Norris emigrated to Canada with his wife to teach at McGill University in Montreal.

He displayed talent for the violin and piano, and at the age of about 3-1/2 began tuition on these instruments with his music teacher father.

[6][7] 1n 1916, he left to serve in World War I as a musketry trainer and also forming and training orchestras and other musical groups for the forces.

[9][10] On the expiry of Toye's contract he took over as musical director from 1 February 1920, making his debut as conductor in Birmingham the following day.

[11] Norris was the company's musical director from February 1920 to May 1929, except for the London West End seasons in 1921–22 and 1924, when Toye again took charge, and 1926 when Malcolm Sargent was guest conductor.

Norris was never musical director for a D'Oyly Carte London season, though he shared the conducting and was allotted the occasional first night of an opera's run.

In addition, in 1921 Norris, in collaboration with stage director J. M. Gordon, cut Cox and Box from its original one-hour running time to play in about half an hour, so that it became suitable as a curtain raiser for The Sorcerer or other shorter full-length pieces.

"[17] The Times, on the other hand, praised Norris's "admirable swing and fluency" and commented that he justified D'Oyly Carte's confidence in him.

"[13] After leaving the company in 1929, Norris settled in Canada with his second wife, Doris Hemingway (also a former D'Oyly Carte performer),[18] taking up an academic appointment at McGill University in Montreal.

Almost immediately after their arrival the Norrises were in great demand as musical and stage directors, respectively, for several amateur Gilbert and Sullivan Operatic Societies, and this, along with teaching piano, singing and violin, became their life's work for the next 34 years.

[22] The Norrises were founding members of the Montreal West Operatic Society, in 1939, which performed the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, directing for them until 1963.