John Burrows is an English Concert Promoter and Events Organiser and has promoted and organised over 2000 concerts and 30 major Music Festivals throughout the UK and Europe. He was the Creator and Director of London’s massive CAPITAL RADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL between 1981-1995 during which time he promoted many major international artistes and musicians such as Frank Sinatra – Paul McCartney – the London Community Gospel Choir - Queen – Ella Fitzgerald – Miles Davis – Simply Red – Count Basie – Cliff Richard – Dave Brubeck – B.B.King – Prince – Take That (Robbie Williams) - Ray Charles – Wynton Marsalis – Santana – Dizzy Gillespie – Lionel Hampton – Herbie Hancock - in fact most of the great American jazz legends.
John Burrows has done extensive music education work in his career with the Wren Orchestra – the series “Music on Your Doorstep” for London Schools and many events for the Royal College of Music in London. He was a member of the Centenary Appeals Committee of the Royal College of Music in 1981, chaired by HRH The Prince of Wales, and John was Chairman of the Media and Events Committee of the College from 1990-95. He has worked extensively for the Hampshire Music Services including the HANTS JAZZ series in 2002. He set up the visit to Lithuania in 2003 of Paul Stevenson’s NATIONAL JAZZ STUDENTS COLLECTIVE of GREAT BRITAIN, instigated by HM Ambassador Mr Jeremy Hill – It was a real triumph for young jazz musicians and teachers from Hampshire and other parts of the UK.
John Burrows was the producer and promoter of the largest reggae festival in the world – SUNSPLASH - from Jamaica and in 1987 brought the first Russian rock bands to London. For 5 years from 1994 to 1999 he was an executive producer of the annual 3 weeks opera, theatre and classical music festival – The Holders Season – in Barbados and in 1997 presented Maestro Luciano Pavarotti with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from London.
John Burrows has promoted over 500 classical concerts and has worked with most of the major English symphony orchestras. In June 2000 he was invited to the Vilnius Music Festival by the Director of the Festival, Mr Gintautas Kevisas, (past Minister of Culture in the Lithuanian Government) and six months later was invited to join the Board of Directors to assist in its development internationally as Lithuania approached membership of the EU and NATO. For the Vilnius Music Festival in 2002 John Burrows brought in the UK’s premier gospel choir - the London Community Gospel Choir.
In May 2004 John organised the tour of the JAZZ and WORLD MUSIC COLLECTIVE to the 3 Baltic Countries. They joined musicians from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for an exciting British cultural exchange on behalf of the British Embassies celebrating the Baltic States membership of the European Union. The Jazz and World Music Collective has shown extraordinary development and has visited the Baltic Countries, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, The Gambia and works consistently in the UK. There are plans in 2005 to visit the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Africa.
John Burrows initiated and helped set up in 2004 the Department of Popular Music for the Vilnius Conservatory of Music, with its Director Mr Laimis Vilkoncius, as it was reformed as part of the Vilnius College – it is a state educational institution founded by the Ministry of Education and Science with 10,000 students in 8 faculties now including Music and Arts Management.
John has written many articles on music and has produced with the creative team at Dorling Kindersley ( DK - Penguin Books) a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated reference book of
1000 years of classical music for the DK – Eyewitness Companion Series. The book - CLASSICAL MUSIC - was published in April 2005 in New York and in May 2005 in London followed by 17 foreign language editions in 2006-08. It was published in Japanese in July 2008.
In October 2006 John Burrows was privileged to be one of the hosts for the first ever State visit of Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip to Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was the Master of Ceremonies and a guest speaker at the Commemoration dinner for the British community to welcome Her Majesty the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh to the Baltic Countries. He was appointed in November 2006 to be Executive Producer of FLY TO THE PAST – History of Flight Festival – at Blenheim Palace July 2007 in association with the Royal Air Force.
John Burrows is an International Ambassador ( appointed May 1997) for the City of Nottingham – his birthplace and he was made an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Music in London in 1987. He was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) on January 1st.1991 by Her Majesty the Queen for services to music in the UK. John lives in Hampshire UK .