famous Irish flute virtuoso; b. Belfast, Dec. 8, 1939. Galway's first instrument was the violin, but he soon began to study flute. At 14, he went to work in a piano shop, but a scholarship enabled him to go to London, where he continued to study flute. He also took academic courses in music at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He then received a grant to go to Paris, where he studied with Gaston Crunelle at the Conservatory and privately with MARCEL MOYSE.

Galway's first professional job as a flutist was with the wind band at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. He subsequently played with the Sadler's Wells Opera Company, Royal Opera House Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He then was appointed principal flutist of the London Symphony Orchestra, and later with the Royal Philharmonic. As his reputation grew, he was engaged in 1969 by Herbert von Karajan as first flutist in the Berlin Philharmonic, a post he held until 1975.

Galway then devoted himself to a career as a concert artist. In a single season, 1975-76, he appeared as a soloist with all five major London orchestras. He also toured in the U.S., Australia, Europe, and the Orient. He became successful on television, playing his 18-karat-gold flute, and has commissioned several new works for flute and orchestra.