7th Earl of Harewood

George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, was born in London in 1923 and became a significant figure in British operatic life in the second half of the twentieth century, as both critic and editor and as theatre manager. His profile combines writing on opera with institutional responsibilities at the highest level.

He was educated at Eton and at Cambridge. In 1948 he began publishing opera criticism in the New Statesman and in Ballet and Opera, and in 1950 he founded the magazine Opera, which he edited until 1953. That same year he prepared a revised edition of the classic Kobbé's Complete Opera Book, a work that went through further expanded editions in 1976, 1987 and 1998, the last containing a good deal of new material. His own entries are notable for their ability to describe the plot and its musical treatment.

In management, he served on the board of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, over two periods, and worked as administrative assistant there between 1953 and 1960. He also directed the Edinburgh Festival from 1951 to 1955 and the Leeds Festival from 1958 to 1974. Between 1972 and 1985 he was managing director of English National Opera, formerly Sadler's Wells Opera, and from 1978 to 1981 he held the same post at English National Opera North. During his time at the helm of ENO, numerous positive changes were made to the company's policy.

His musical tastes leaned especially towards Slavonic music and the operas of Verdi, and he is recognised as an expert on vocal recordings, of which he amassed a broad and select collection. He chaired the advisory committee of the NSA for a time. His memoirs, The Tongs and the Bones, were published in London in 1981.