By Debbie Hall
The Las Vegas Philharmonic will bring the magic of Shostakovich’s Fifth with guest conductor Leonard Slatkin to The Smith Center on March 15.
In addition to conducting, Leonard has been the artistic consultant to the Las Vegas Philharmonic for almost a year.
“A consultant can mean almost anything, of course, but my role is multifaceted. The first goal is to help guide them [philharmonic] through this period of time while they were looking for a new music director when the previous director stepped down. The Philharmonic did not appoint a successor, so one of my goals is to have guest conductors who are primarily candidates for this job so the orchestra and the public can watch them work. But the Philharmonic also needs somebody to coordinate all these programs. Otherwise, you could have six versions of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony occurring,” explained Leonard.
At the age of 80, he strives to create as much variety as possible with as many different styles of conducting as possible for the orchestra. Leonard is interested in including flamboyant people as well as young ones. Leonard also assists with the audition process for members of the orchestra.
“I assist in fundraising, I get to know members of the board in the public, and I conduct each year,” he added.
As for his career, he admits that it was a little hard to avoid because his parents worked in the music industry in Los Angeles.
“They were studio musicians. My dad was the concertmaster of the orchestra at 20th Century Fox. My mother was the first cellist at Warner Brothers, but that was only part of their careers. They were half of a famous string quartet called the Hollywood String Quartet, and they were working in the recording studios on the popular end of things, particularly at Capitol Records. Later, my father would branch out into conducting, arranging, and producing. Sadly, he died very young in 1963 at the age of 47. I was only 19,” explained Leonard.
Leonard grew up in that environment, listening to many different kinds of music, whether going to recording sessions, jazz clubs, or folk music clubs, which instilled love in him.
As Duke Ellington said, “There are only two kinds of music. There's good music and the other stuff.”
Leonard played violin, piano, and viola and composed music. Just after his father died, he left music for over a year, thinking he would become an English teacher. After receiving some suggestions to try conducting, Leonard attended music school in Anston and the Juilliard School of Music. After four years, he was asked to become the assistant conductor of the St. Louis Symphony, where his career began.
Several factors brought him to Las Vegas.
“First, it was my family because of their associations, particularly with Frank Sinatra, who was a very close friend of the family. We would take trips to Las Vegas when my brother and I were little kids, and we got to know all those people there. There was a long history as children, and my brother and I, before he passed away a couple of years ago. We would go to Las Vegas once a year. My brother loved Vegas, and I think he would have moved there if he had had the chance. We would spend three days hanging out because we didn't get a chance to see each other very much,” said Leonard.
The next reason was an invitation by Alice Sauro, Executive Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
Alice had been Leonard’s executive assistant while working for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. When he was conducting in Los Angeles, Alice asked him if he would be interested in having a role with the orchestra in Las Vegas. Intrigued, he said yes.
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“I didn't want to take on another music directorship at this point in my life. I just wanted to conduct. However, Las Vegas struck me as an incredible opportunity at this time in history because of orchestras, museums, opera companies, ballets, arts, and all of culture. There are diverse backgrounds and interests, people are moving to the area, and there are many patrons for the arts. Culture can flourish, which is a very interesting way to impact an area.
As for the future, “we're going to try to increase the visibility of the orchestra in several ways. One of them is embracing elements of the Las Vegas entertainment industry, using people who are already well-known in the city to participate as performers, patrons, and spokespersons for the orchestra. As an orchestra, we need to help to continue the growth by getting those instruments in the hands of young people, letting them sing, and getting them into the arts."
Another of Leonard’s passions is baseball. He threw the first pitch at an Aviators game and is excited that professional baseball is coming to Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Philharmonic, a 501(c)(3) organization, will begin its 27th season in October under the direction of Leonard Slatkin. The Philharmonic enhances residents' lives and enriches the city's culture through impactful and engaging performances and events. At the core of the orchestra are 76 professional musicians who bring depth and variety to the organization. Each season, concerts and performances showcase local talent as well as nationally and internationally recognized guest artists.
The Youth Concert Series and community engagement programs include the concert hall in the classroom. The Philharmonic's education, community, and artistic programs are made possible by donations and support from individuals and corporations.
To learn more, visit lvphil.org or call 702.258.5438. Follow the Las Vegas Philharmonic on facebook.com/lasvegasphilharmonic, and X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @lvphil.