Charles Hazlewood
A charismatic British conductor who dismantles classical music's barriers, founding the pioneering integrated Paraorchestra.
Born 1966 (age 60)·British conductor·Birthday: November 14·Generation X
Biography
Charles Hazlewood conducts with a missionary's zeal, believing deeply in music's power to include and transform. He burst onto the scene by winning a major European conducting competition in his twenties, which launched a traditional international career. But Hazlewood’s path was never going to be conventional. A natural communicator, he became a familiar voice on BBC radio and television, demystifying classical works with infectious enthusiasm. His most profound impact, however, came from a personal place. Motivated by a desire to include his disabled daughter in musical life, he founded the Paraorchestra in 2011. This groundbreaking ensemble, the world's first professional group integrating disabled and non-disabled musicians, uses technology and adapted instruments to redefine what an orchestra can be and who can be in it. Hazlewood continues to lead both mainstream symphonies and his Paraorchestra with equal passion, proving that the future of classical music is not about preserving a temple, but opening its doors.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Charles was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded the Paraorchestra in 2011, the world's first professional integrated orchestra of disabled and non-disabled musicians.
- Won the European Broadcasting Union International Conductors Competition in 1995, launching his international career.
- Has been a prominent presenter and curator of music programming for the BBC on radio and television for decades.
- Commissioned and conducted the world's first symphony for iPad orchestra, 'Forests', with the British Paraorchestra.
Did You Know?
He made history by conducting the first-ever concert at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge.
He is a trained pianist and once performed Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' from memory on live television.
He was appointed a Sky Arts Ambassador for Music in 2021, advocating for broader access to the arts.
“Music is the most powerful means of communication we have.”
