Slatkin, Leonard [key], 1944–, American conductor, b. Los Angeles. Slatkin is known for his interpretations of 20th-century American music as well as of the standard classical repertory. Raised in a musical family, he studied violin, viola, piano, and composition. He has been conductor of the New Orleans Philarmonic (1977–79), of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (1979–96), and of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (2000–2004) and music director of the National Symphony Orchestra (1996–2008). He is music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (since 2008) and of the National Orchestra of Lyons, France (since 2011). Since 2000 he has been the director of the National Conducting Institute, a school that trains young music directors.
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