Born in New York, Carl Davis continues to draw on his early years of work, which provided him with his broad musical background. In 1959, with his fellow-student, Stephen Vinaver, he wrote the revue Diversions which won him an Obie (Off-Broadway). When it was presented at the 1961 Edinburgh Festival and from there to London, Ned Sherrin commissioned him to compose for That Was The Week That Was, paving the way for many radio and television commissions, from the BBC's acclaimed Pride and Prejudice to The Naked Civil Servant and Good Night Mr Tom. His feature film scores include The French Lieutenant's Woman, Champions, Scandal, Ken Russell's The Rainbow, Widow's Peak, Mike Leigh's Topsy Turvy and The Book of Eve. Carl Davis has composed a unique series of scores for restored prints of silent films, originally commissioned by Channel 4 in 1980. The series featured Abel Gance's epic film Napoleon and in 1983 the French Minister of Culture presented him with the order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres after a screening of the film in Paris. Live cinema performances of other classic films continue to take place around the world, and his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra has led to regular presentations of these classic films from the silent era. For eight years Carl Davis held the post of Artistic Director and Conductor for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's Summer Pops Season. As part of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
