- Leslie Dunner
Infobox musical artist
Name = Leslie B. Dunner
Birth_name = Leslie Byron Dunner
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born = birth date and age|1956|01|05New York, New York , U.S.
Instrument =Clarinetist
Genre = Classical
Occupation =Composer ,Conductor ,Clarinetist
Years_active = 1982–"present"
Notable_instruments =Leslie Byron Dunner (b.
January 5 ,1956 ) is an Americanconductor andcomposer .Biography
Leslie was born in New York City to parents Lloyd Bertram Dunner and Audrey (Hemmings) Dunner. His father worked at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard and later for the Brooklyn Department of Sanitation, while his mother was a social worker. Dunner grew up inHarlem and theSouth Bronx and developed an interest in jazz that was disapproved of by his high school teachers. He learned to play the clarinet and also acquired from his older sister a passion for African dance, a talent that led to him becoming the youngest performer at the1964_New_York_World's_Fair . He went on to theUniversity of Rochester 'sEastman School of Music , where he was awarded his bachelor's degree in 1978. He later attendedQueens College inNew York , where he was awarded a master's degree in 1979, and theUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music , where he was awarded aPh.D. in 1982.Dunner's first professional appointment was an academic one. He became a professor of music at
Carleton College in Northfield,Minnesota , in 1982. He remained there until 1986, when he became the principal guest conductor at theDance Theatre of Harlem and, in 1987, the resident conductor at theDetroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). Dunner's residency at the Detroit Symphony lasted until 1999 and provided the platform on which he built his subsequent career.Dunner's reputation as a conductor rests on his ability to communicate with the audience through a wide variety of musical styles, and through his willingness to experiment with tempo and presentation. He is a flamboyant performer whose conducting style owes almost as much to dance as to the more conservative classical music tradition. While he was with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra , first as resident, then associate, and finally as assistant conductor, Dunner performed in concerts ranging from Pops to the major classical repertoire. He also led the DSO in developing their educational programs, concerts for young people, and touring programs. Above all, as Dunner told the New Bay Times (Annapolis) in 1998, he is interested in having his audiences feel the music as well as experience it intellectually.During his time with the DSO, Dunner's reputation as a charismatic and popular conductor grew quickly. In 1994 he was invited to work as assistant to veteran conductor
Kurt Masur (1927--) with theNew York Philharmonic Orchestra , joining them on their 1995 European tour. His association with theNew York Philharmonic ended in 2001. Also in the 1990s Dunner was involved with the Detroit Symphony Civic and Dearborn Symphony Orchestras and toured Europe, South America, and the United States with theDance Theatre of Harlem . In 1992 he performed with theDance Theatre of Harlem forNelson Mandela , the South African leader who had been released from prison two years earlier. Dunner also took theDance Theatre of Harlem to world-famous festivals, including the Salzburg Festival inAustria and the Tivoli Festival inDenmark .In 1998 Dunner took up the post of music director of the
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra with a promise to rejuvenate the orchestra with his own brand of flamboyant conducting and varied musical programming. He explained to the New Bay Times shortly before taking up the post that he hoped to make the audience react to the music: "I think the only promise I can make at this point is things won't be boring.... People have to make up their own minds as to whether they like something or not." Although he began his residence atAnnapolis with the conservative program inherited from his predecessor, in the five years he worked inAnnapolis the orchestra developed a reputation for the accessibility of its concerts and the dynamism of its performances.Dunner left
Annapolis in 2003 moving toChicago and took up the post of musical director at the renownedJoffrey Ballet Company , pledging to ensure that the dancers never performed without live musical accompaniment. By the end of 2003 he had already made his mark on the ballet orchestra, theChicago Sinfonietta . Hedy Weiss, dance critic of theChicago Sun Times , called his Christmas 2003 performance of The Nutcracker "masterful," praising the way he adjusted rhythm and tempo "to support, even inspire, the performer's perfect balance."Besides his long-term posts Dunner has performed as guest conductor with major orchestras around the world. These include the
New York Philharmonic , theSan Francisco and Seattle Symphony orchestras, theSymphony Orchestra of Madrid (Spain), and the Warsaw Sinfonia (Poland). Dunner makes regular trips to South Africa, where he has performed with that country's major orchestras. He has also performed with chamber orchestras, and with prestigious international dance companies, including theAmerican Ballet Theater , the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden (London, England), and theBirmingham Royal Ballet (Birmingham, England). Dunner has also received many awards and honors, including the Detroit Man of the Year and Spirit of Detroit awards, and commendations from the National Association of Negro Musicians. He was the first American winner of the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition in 1986, and the recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumnus award from theUniversity of Cincinnati in 1996. He was also honored by the NAACP in 1991 with the James Weldon Johnson Award.Awards and recognition
Colorado Philharmonic National Conducting Competition, Denver, First Prize, 1986; Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition, Parma, Italy, Third Prize 1986; Spirit of Detroit award, 1988; "Leslie Dunner Day," Annapolis, MD, 1998; Delta Phi Beta, Detroit, named Man of the Year, 1988; NAACP, James Weldon Johnson Award, 1991; University of Cincinnati, Distinguished Young Alumnus Award, 1996.
References
External links
* [http://www.parkerartists.com/NewPages/dunner.html]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/leslie-b-dunner]
* [http://www.symphonysiliconvalley.org/musicians.php?pagecontID=66&MusID=108]
* [http://www.bayweekly.com/year98/lead6_34.html]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.