Sir Thomas Beecham was a British conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1946 to 1959. His repertoire included the works of Mozart's symphonies, the operatic masterpieces of Verdi, and the orchestral works of Tchaikovsky. He was born in 1879 in St. Helen's, Lancashire, England, into a family of musical talents. Music was deeply ingrained in the family, and young Beecham often attended concerts and performances in Liverpool, where his family resided.