About Henry Lewis (musician)
Henry Jay Lewis was an American double-bassist and orchestral conductor whose career extended over four decades. A child prodigy, he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 16, becoming the first African-American instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra and, later, the first African-American symphony orchestra conductor in the United States. As musical director of the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, he supported America's cultural diplomacy initiatives in Europe after World War II. In 1948, at the age of 16, Lewis was invited to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Alfred Wallenstein, becoming the first African-American instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra. In the process, he became the first African-American conductor to lead a major orchestra on a regular season concert. As early as 1959, Lewis founded and directed the String Society of Los Angeles, an ensemble which specialized in the performance of chamber music.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.