. "Stand still!??? For L.A. Opera Music Director James Conlon, who is conducting Billy Budd for the first time, this production continues a life-long love affair with Britten. ???When I was growing up,??? Conlon wrote in an Opera News article, ???Benjamin Britten was a contemporary composer.??? As a high school student, he heard Britten and his partner, Peter Pears, perform two recitals in New York C" . . .