British conductor-composer John Lanchbery was born in London. His first work in the ballet was in the position of music director at the Metropolitan Ballet between 1947 and 1949. In 1951, he joined the Sadlers Wells Theatre Ballet (since renamed the Birmingham Royal Ballet) and toured North America with them. He orchestrated the music to Kenneth MacMillan's ballet House of Birds for the company. Between 1959 and 1972, he served as the principal conductor of London's Royal Ballet, where he arranged the music for Frederick Ashton's ballet La fille mal gardée (1960), The Dream (1964), The Creatures of Prometheus (1970), the film The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971) and A Month in the Country (1976). As music director of the Australian Ballet between 1972 and 1978, he created the orchestral arrangements for Rudolf Nureyev's choreography for Don Quixote (1966).
His other work includes music for Peter Darrell's The Tales of Hoffmann and Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow and Rosalinda. In 1977, he served as the music director for the film The Turning Point, which dealt with the world of ballet.
Between 1978 and 1980, he worked as the music director of the American Ballet Theatre.