The popular Irish flute virtuoso, James Galway, b. Dec. 8, 1939, took up the flute, which his father played, after briefly studying the violin. At the age of 15 a scholarship permitted him to attend the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School in London; later he enrolled at the Paris Conservatory. After playing in various London orchestras, he became principal flutist of the London Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic, and from 1969 to 1975 was first flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic. Galway has since pursued a highly successful soloist's career, giving concerts and making several television appearances.
