Edward Downes Edward Downes Sir Edward Thomas ("Ted") Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera. He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for his long working relationship with the BBC Philharmonic and for working with the Netherlands Radio Orchestra. Within the field of opera, he was particularly known as a conductor of Verdi. He and his wife, Lady (Joan) Downes, committed assisted suicide at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland on 10 July 2009, an event that received significant media
Golden (Kit Downes Trio album) Golden (Kit Downes Trio album) Golden is the debut album by the acoustic jazz Kit Downes Trio. It was released in 2009 by Basho Records and was shortlisted for the 2010 Mercury Prize. The trio of pianist Kit Downes, bassist Calum Gourlay and drummer James Maddren had been together since 2005, when they were studying at the Royal Academy of Music. This was their first recording together. Seven of the tracks were written by Downes; Gourlay composed "Roots". "Golden" was released in September 2009 by Basho Records. The AllAboutJazz reviewer concluded that "The quality of writing and performance on this