Berlioz (1803-1869) was born in France and initially didn’t start out on a musical career path.
In fact, he started training as a medical student at a Parisian medical college before he had a change of heart and swapped disciplines mid-course to join the Paris Conservatoire in 1826.
From then on, Berlioz threw himself into his music, writing monumental pieces such as the titanic five-hour opera Les Troyens and the very famous Symphonie Fantastique. However, the multi-talented composer didn’t stop there – he also had successful careers as a music critic and a conductor!
Talk about an all-rounder…