Celebrated Conductor Now Based In London Tours Childhood Home In Philadelphia
By Jim Melwert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A celebrated British conductor is back in his hometown of Philadelphia to lead the Philly Pops' "Christmas Spectacular" -- and as part of the "Home for the Holidays" theme, he toured his childhood home for the first time in decades.
David Charles Abell now calls London home, he's a regular conductor with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and also gained worldwide fame as conductor of the Les Mis 10th and 25th anniversary concerts. Back in town with the Philly Pops, he visited the home in East Mount Airy where he lived from age four to twelve.
"Boy this was my world," Abell said. "And I loved it."
The Gays now call the East Gowen Avenue house home, and daughter Amber, now in her 30's, recounts a conversation she had with her father about Abell's visit.
"There's a famous conductor who used to live in this house, and his publicist just called and they want to come over and visit, and I said, 'Are you sure about that?'"
Her father was sure, and Abell did visit. And Amber was all smiles as she and David swapped stories of growing up in the home, including his sledding hill in the backyard.
"In my four-year-old imagination," Abell said, "this was a very steep hill."
"Huge," said Amber.
"Now I see that you'd go maybe four-miles-an-hour," Abell said.
"When you inherited the bedroom that I slept in," he said, "were the monsters still under the bed or had they moved out?"
"I think the monsters were actually in the closet," Amber joked.
The Philly Pops Christmas Spectacular runs from December 5th through the 20th.
Check Out These Other Stories:
