Erich Leinsdorf

Erich Leinsdorf (February 4, 1912 – September 11, 1993) was an Austrian-born American conductor celebrated for his rigorous musical scholarship, advocacy for textual accuracy in performances, and leadership of major orchestras and opera companies across the United States and Europe. Born in Vienna to a Jewish family, he studied piano from age five, later focusing on cello, theory, and composition at the University of Vienna and the Vienna Academy of Music, where he also served as rehearsal pianist for Anton Webern. His early career included assisting conductors Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini at the Salzburg Festival from 1934 to 1937, before emigrating to the United States in 1937 amid rising antisemitism in Austria.

Leinsdorf made his professional debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1938 conducting Die Walküre, and by 1939 he was appointed overseer of the company's German repertoire, a role he held until 1943. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1942 and subsequently served as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1943 to 1946, followed by nine years as principal conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra starting in 1947. Later appointments included music director of the New York City Opera from 1956 to 1957 and, most notably, the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1962 to 1969, where he introduced 32 new works at Tanglewood, including Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. From 1978 to 1980, he was principal conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and thereafter focused on guest conducting worldwide.

Erich Leinsdorf was born Erich Landauer on February 4, 1912, in Vienna, Austria, into a Jewish family of modest middle-class means.

Leinsdorf, born to a Jewish family in Vienna, began his formal musical education at the age of five under his mother's guidance before advancing to private lessons in piano with the wife of composer Paul Pisk starting at age eight, and later with Paul Emerich and Hedwig Kammer-Rosenthal starting at age eleven. He also received instruction in music theory and composition from Paul Pisk, a student of Arnold Schoenberg. In 1923, he enrolled at the Vienna State Academy of Music, where he continued piano studies with Emerich until 1928 and pursued composition with Joseph Marx until 1931, alongside courses in violin and cello. These foundational years established Leinsdorf's technical proficiency and theoretical grounding in the Viennese musical tradition.