  thumb|right|250px|mackerras in 2005 sir alan charles maclaurin mackerras, ac, ch, cbe (;  1925 2010) was an australian conductor. he was an authority on the operas of janÃ¡Äek and mozart, and the comic operas of gilbert and sullivan. he was long associated with the english national opera (and its predecessor) and welsh national opera and was the first australian chief conductor of the sydney symphony orchestra. ==early life and background== charles was born in schenectady, new york, to australian parents, alan mackerras and catherine maclaurin. his father was an electrical engineer and a quaker. in 1928, when charles was aged three, the family moved to sydney, australia. they initially lived in the suburb of vaucluse, and in 1933, moved to the then semi-rural suburb of turramurra. mackerras was the eldest of their seven children, including five brothers, the others being malcolm, colin, alastair and neil and two sisters, joan and elisabeth. they are descendants of the pioneer australian musician isaac nathan. mackerras studied violin at the age of seven and later the flute and was setting poems to music at eight, and wrote a piano concerto when he was 12. mackerras initially at
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