LEONARD SLATKIN

CONDUCTOR | COMPOSER | AUTHOR

There is no "perfect" in music. If I were ever to come off the
stage feeling that the performance could not have been
better, it would then be time to quit.

LEONARD SLATKIN

CONDUCTOR | COMPOSER | AUTHOR

There is no “perfect” in music. If I were ever to come off the stage feeling that the performance could not have been better, it would then be time to quit.

LATEST NEWS

Slatkin Writes “Road to Recovery” Series
By leonard slatkin
July 27, 2020

While working on his third book, Leonard Slatkin has written a number of essays about the road to recovery for the orchestra industry. In this ongoing series, he has put forth such suggestions as programming concerts for smaller forces, opening up recording archives to keep audiences engaged, and taking advantage of local talent, among other ideas.

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leonard slatkin
Kastalsky Recording Available for Pre-Order
By leonard slatkin
July 23, 2020

The world-premiere recording of Alexander Kastalsky’s Requiem for Fallen Brothers, a First World War remembrance, is now available for pre-sale. On August 28, Naxos will release the album in its complete and revised, 17-movement version for orchestra, choir, and soloists. In its first week of sales, the recording was the No. 1 bestselling classical pre-order on iTunes.

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leonard slatkin

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Upcoming Events

Oct 02

Spokane Symphony Orchestra (Canceled)

Saturday, October 10 @ 8:00 pm

Oct 11

Spokane Symphony Orchestra (Canceled)

Sunday, October 11 @ 3:00 pm

Latest from the Journal

AUGUST 2020: Recovery Edition, Part 14

By leonard slatkin

It is now the middle of August. If ever there was a confluence of important decisions to be made, this is the time. Schools are supposed to reopen, but conflicting directives and information are making that choice difficult. The political conventions are approaching, and we don’t have any idea of how they will look or sound. Protests continue to grow, and the enmity between sectors of the public and law enforcement seems greater than ever. Sports are experiencing the consequences, in some cases, of seemingly reckless behavior, thereby jeopardizing all participants.

And then there is our small world of classical music. Most orchestras were expecting to start their seasons either in September or very early October. Some have cancelled all concerts until the new year, and a few have taken the entire 2020-21 season off the books. Others are holding out until the last possible moment, with the hope that some miracle will allow them to proceed in some form.

Leonard Slatkin

Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL), and Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting throughout the world and is active as a composer, author, and educator.

Slatkin has received six Grammy awards and 34 nominations. A recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, he also holds the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. He has received Austria’s Decoration of Honor in Silver, the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton Award, and the 2013 ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award for his debut book, Conducting Business. His second book, Leading Tones: Reflections on Music, Musicians, and the Music Industry, was published by Amadeus Press in 2017. He is working on a third volume, Musical Chairs: The Changing Landscape of Classical Music in the Twenty-first Century.

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