LEONARD SLATKIN

CONDUCTOR | COMPOSER | AUTHOR

LEONARD SLATKIN

CONDUCTOR | COMPOSER | AUTHOR

LATEST NEWS

Leonard Slatkin to Receive Lincoln Medal as a Leading Advocate for the Nation’s Repertoire
By leonard slatkin
March 31, 2026

On May 31, Ford’s Theatre Society will present the Lincoln Medal to two distinguished honorees: Leonard Slatkin and Gary Sinise. The award recognizes individuals whose body of work and character reflect the enduring legacy of President Lincoln.

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leonard slatkin
Warner Classics Releases “Pictures at an Exhibition: The Paintings of Bob Peak” Album
By leonard slatkin
March 6, 2026

Born at the intersection of music, visual arts, and the world of cinema, this vibrant new album by producer Robert Townson brings together ten internationally renowned composers in world-premiere compositions.

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leonard slatkin

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MARCH 2026

By leonard slatkin

Not much happened in February. Oh, wait. There were a couple of things.

Let’s start with the announcement of my new position as music director of the Nashville Symphony. This past summer, I was named artistic advisor, but as we reviewed the scope of the ensemble’s activities in Music City, it became clear that a more active role for me was needed.

Leonard Slatkin

Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin was recently named Music Director of the Nashville Symphony. He will take the artistic helm of the orchestra beginning with the 2026/27 season, following his previous appointment as Artistic Advisor. His other titles include Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon, Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, and Artistic Consultant to the Las Vegas Philharmonic. He maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting and is active as a composer, author, and educator.

A six-time Grammy winner and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Slatkin also holds the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. He has been awarded the Prix Charbonnier from the Federation of Alliances Françaises, Austria’s Decoration of Honor in Silver, and the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton. His debut book, Conducting Business (2012), for which he received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award, was followed by Leading Tones (2017) and Classical Crossroads: The Path Forward for Music in the 21^st Century (2021). His latest books are Eight Symphonic Masterworks of the Twentieth Century (spring 2024) and Eight Symphonic Masterworks of the Nineteenth Century (fall 2024), part of an ongoing series of essays that supplement the score-study process, published by Bloomsbury.

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