Alexander Gibson was born in Motherwell and trained in Glasgow, London and Europe. He was appointed artistic director and principal conductor of the Scottish National Orchestra in 1959, and was the first native-born Scot to hold the posts. Gibson stayed with the orchestra for twenty-five years, raising it to a new level of excellence and using it to introduce many new works to Scotland, often before they had been heard in London. With composer Robin Orr, Gibson played a leading role in the creation of Scottish Opera in 1962.