Author archive for leonard slatkin

  • Detroit Symphony Promotes Michelle Merrill to Associate Conductor

    September 16, 2017

    The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is proud to announce that Michelle Merrill has been promoted to Associate Conductor ahead of her third season with the DSO.

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  • Now On Sale: New DSO Recording of Copland’s “Appalachian Spring”

    September 9, 2016

    The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Aaron Copland’s internationally celebrated masterpiece, Appalachian Spring, and his jazz-influenced ballet, Hear Ye! Hear Ye!, is now available for sale on the Naxos label. This release is volume two of the Complete Ballet series.

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  • SEPTEMBER 2016

    The next sentence is one I have very rarely written: I conducted one piece for the entire month of August.

    After chronicling the process of putting together Samuel Barber’s opera, Vanessa, there were just four more performances to present. During the winter season, when I have done an opera, usually I found time to fit in a guest conducting engagement during the extended breaks between performances. Even my earlier appearance in Santa Fe saw me dart up to Aspen and over to the Hollywood Bowl.

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  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s 2016-17 Single Tickets On Sale

    August 22, 2016

    Celebrate the upcoming season with two opening-weekend events featuring violinist Hilary Hahn and piano virtuoso Lang Lang. Experience blockbusters like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, an exploration of George Gershwin and the influence of popular culture on classical music, and a month-long Mozart Festival!

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  • New York Youth Symphony to Honor Leonard Slatkin

    August 22, 2016

    The New York Youth Symphony has announced that it will honor Leonard Slatkin with the Theodore L. Kesselman Award for Arts Education at their 54th Annual Benefit event on Monday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Club.

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  • “Stepping Out with Slatkin & McTee” Kicks Off Placitas Artists Series

    August 8, 2016

    The Placitas Artists Series launches its 30th season on Sunday, August 14, with “Stepping Out with Slatkin & McTee,” a PAS fundraiser featuring internationally renowned, Grammy-winning conductor Leonard Slatkin and award-winning American composer Cindy McTee.

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  • Barber’s “Vanessa” Receives Critical Acclaim in Santa Fe

    August 3, 2016

    Santa Fe Opera’s production of Barber’s Vanessa has garnered rave reviews, with critics lauding the top-notch cast, the elegant and evocative design elements, and Barber’s rich, colorful score.

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  • AUGUST 2016

    After a terribly long trip from Nagoya, we arrived in Santa Fe, a place so opposite the Japanese cities we visited on the ONL tour that not only jet lag, but also cultural shock, set in. I am here for the duration of the summer, conducting five performances of Samuel Barber’s masterpiece, Vanessa. When I was here several years ago, I had suggested that this work would be a good one for me to do, and everyone seemed to agree. The fact that it has never been presented at the Santa Fe Opera, which is celebrating its 60th year, took everyone by surprise.

    Some of you will remember that a few years ago, I kept a diary, posting almost every day about what turned out to be an ugly chapter in my musical life. The Metropolitan Opera provided the backdrop for what would become an unfortunate confrontation with one of the major divas of today. The New York Times weighed in with “In Revival of Verdi, A New Note of Drama.” They followed up with an article about the great Verdi conductors. Although I was not on the list, it was probably the only time I will appear in a published article with the likes of Toscanini, Muti, and Kleiber.

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  • Musicians Join Detroit Symphony Orchestra Roster

    July 28, 2016

    The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has hired three orchestra musicians from national auditions held during the 2015-16 season: Eric Nowlin, Principal Viola; Amanda Blaikie, Second Flute; and James Ritchie, Assistant Principal Timpani/Section Percussion.

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  • Barber’s Gothic Romance “Vanessa” Opens July 30 at Santa Fe Opera

    July 25, 2016

    Leonard Slatkin will conduct Samuel Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Vanessa, considered by many to be one of the most important American operas of the twentieth century.

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