January 16, 2010 - Leslie B. Dunner

Musicians respond to the direction of Leslie Dunner "with an eagerness born of respect rather than duty." His style has been described as "smooth and fluent with a lot of charm." Dunner's career has seen him conduct the major orchestras of America, as well as those of Canada, Russia, Italy and South Africa. His breadth of repertoire includes ballet and opera as well, as he has led performances of the American Ballet Theatre, the Joffrey Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Michigan Opera Theatre. He served for seven years as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic under maestro Kurt Masur, and was a cover conductor for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Other posts include Principal Conductor of the Dance Theater of Harlem and Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He holds advanced degrees in music and is also a clarinetist and composer.