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Lesley Leighton, Artistic Director
Whether conducting the 95-voices of Los Robles Master Chorale, the 120 voices of Los Angeles Master Chorale, or the New West Symphony Chorus, Lesley Leighton's primary mission remains the same: to nurture southern California's rich choral music tradition. It is a tradition that she herself has been a part of since childhood. A native of Los Angeles, Leighton studied with Paul Salamunovich at Loyola Marymount University, where she earned her BA in choral conducting. She later obtained her MM in vocal performance from the University of Southern California, where she is currently finishing a DMA in choral music with her mentor and nationally-recognized choral conductor, Jo-Michael Scheibe
Leighton's musical activities have taken her across the United States and abroad. A long-standing member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and principal artist for more than two decades, she has performed with many of the world's most eminent conductors, including Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel and Grant Gershon. Her opera credits include principal appearances with New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Köln Opera, and Glyndebourne.
As a choral conductor, Leighton embraces a broad range of music, from the Renaissance to the Romantic Era, although she is particularly dedicated to twentieth and twenty-first century compositions. In 2009, Leighton was invited to conduct the 240-voice choir at the annual Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service, duties she will undertake again in 2011. A long-time advocate of music education, she has inaugurated Los Robles Master Chorale's annual High School Choral Festival in March of 2010, and will launch the High School Choral Leadership Workshop this fall. Leighton began her new post as assistant conductor of Los Angeles Master Chorale in July 2010, in addition to her recent appointment as music director of the New West Symphony Chorus, which will begin its work with the orchestra in the 2010-11 season.
The recipient of a two-year TAship from the Thornton School of Music at USC, Leighton was also honored in 2009 by the university's Remarkable Women Awards, in recognition of her "outstanding accomplishments and endless dedication" in the area of choral music, and was acknowledged by the Thornton School in 2010 with the Chamber Singers Award.
In July 2010, Leighton co-conducted the Los Angeles Master Chorale with Grant Gershon and Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl, and guest conducted the Fauré Requiem and Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music at the Santa Monica United Methodist Church Annual Summer Sing-along. In addition to her Disney Hall conducting debut in January 2011 with LAMC, Leighton will also prepare LA Master Chorale for Bramwell Tovey and the LA Philharmonic's performance of Bernstein's Candide at the Hollywood Bowl, and later this fall for Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Philharmonic on Magnus Lindberg's Graffiti at Disney Hall.
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