23 Facts About James Galway

Sir James Galway was born on 8 December 1939 and is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute".

At the age of eleven James Galway won the junior, senior, and open Belfast flute Championships in a single day.

James Galway's first instrument was a five-key Irish flute, and at the age of twelve or thirteen, he received a Boehm instrument.

James Galway was educated at Mountcollyer Secondary Modern School in Belfast.

James Galway left school at the age of fourteen and worked as an apprentice to a piano repairer for two years.

James Galway subsequently studied the flute at the Royal College of Music under John Francis and at the Guildhall School of Music under Geoffrey Gilbert.

James Galway left Paris to take up his first orchestral flute-playing job at Sadler's Wells Opera in London.

James Galway went on to spend fifteen years as an orchestral player.

James Galway auditioned for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert von Karajan and was principal flute in the orchestra from 1969 to 1975.

In 1982 James Galway was the featured guest star on the Andy Williams Early New England Christmas special, broadcast on CBS.

James Galway performed for the Academy Award-winning ensemble recording the soundtracks of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, composed by Howard Shore.

James Galway is president of Flutewise, a global charitable organisation that supports young flute players, run by Liz Goodwin.

James Galway has been an Ambassador for the National Foundation for Youth Music, a UK charity.

James Galway was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours, and was knighted for services to music in the 2001 Birthday Honours, the first wind player ever to receive that honour.

James Galway is a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity, and an ambassador of the UK charity Help Musicians.

In December 2013, James Galway launched First Flute, an online interactive series of lessons for beginning flute students of all ages.

James Galway married his second wife, Anna Renggli, a daughter of a well-known Swiss architect, in 1972, and moved from Berlin to Lucerne, Switzerland, her hometown.

James Galway is a devout Christian who visits various types of churches while travelling, and prays before his concert performances.

James Galway has the eye condition nystagmus, and is a patron of the Nystagmus Network, a charity that supports people with the condition.

James Galway was critical of the actions of the Northern Irish government during his childhood, and singled out prominent Unionist figures such as Ian Paisley whom Galway blamed for fostering the divisions that led to The Troubles.

James Galway's comments were criticised by prominent Unionist politicians, among them Sammy Wilson.

James Galway did accept substantive British honours, first an OBE, and later a knighthood.

James Galway's younger brother, George, was a jazz musician and teacher based in Manchester, England.