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 Continues Musical Journey with SLSO
By leonard slatkin
April 21, 2021

In a time of limited travel, Slatkin takes listeners across the globe with music by Britten, Ravel, and Ginastera. The concerts will be performed for a socially distanced live audience in Powell Hall Friday through Sunday, April 23-25.

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leonard slatkin
Slatkin Returns to Detroit April 15-16
By leonard slatkin
April 7, 2021

Celebrating ten years of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Live from Orchestra Hall webcasts, Leonard Slatkin returns to conduct two concerts featuring works by William Grant Still, Alberto Ginastera, Gerald Finzi, Jennifer Higdon, and Ernest Bloch on Thursday, April 15 and Friday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

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leonard slatkin

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Upcoming Events

Sat 22

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Wednesday, June 2 @ 8:00 pm

Latest from the Journal

A little over a month after returning to the podium, I have been struck by how various orchestras are dealing with rehearsing and presenting concerts. In the past, a conductor could just show up, ask how long the orchestra could rehearse before taking a break, and try to accomplish the goals for the day.

Now it is all different. Every orchestra seems to regulate things depending on state guidelines, union rules, and what they feel is best for everyone. The three ensembles I worked with recently each has a different method of operation.

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 35 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 the Prix Charbonnier from the Federation of Alliances Françaises, 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, Classical Crossroads: The Path Forward for Music in the 21^st Century.

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