COLERIDGE-TAYLOR, Avril

Born in London, March 8, 1903
Died in Seaford, Sussex, Dec 21, 1998

• Avril Coleridge-Taylor was a composer and conductor, as well as the daughter of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
• A gifted pianist, Coleridge-Taylor studied at Trinity College of Music under Gordon Jacob and Alec Rowley.
• She had her first composition published at age 14(!) – Goodbye Butterfly. As a composer, Coleridge-Taylor wrote works for Orchestra, chamber ensemble, solo instrument, and art songs.
  • In order to avoid a “nepo baby” attribution to her music, Coleridge-Taylor used the pseudonym Peter Riley
• As a conductor, Coleridge-Taylor worked with the LSO, the BBC SO, and founded several additional ensembles, including the Coleridge-Taylor SO.¹
  • Fun fact – Coleridge-Taylor was the first woman to conduct the band of the H.M.S Royal Marines.²

For fun – Other father/daughter composer duos:

• Gustav & Imogen Holst
• Henryk Wieniawsk & Poldowski
  

1. Sophie Fuller, “Coleridge-Taylor, Avril,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed March 9, 2026, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0002020013.
2. Braeden Weyhrich, “Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903-1988),” Music by Women, accessed March 9, 2026, https://www.musicbywomen.org/composer/avril-coleridge-taylor/.