p, 1936-2013 US
Musician / Conductor of Classical
Lawrence Leighton Smith (1936–2013) was an American conductor and pianist. He received bachelor's degrees from the Portland State University (1956) and The Mannes College of Music (1959), where Lawrence studied piano with Leonard Shure. Five years after the graduation, Leighton-Smith won the first prize at the Mitropoulos International Conducting Competition. From 1985 to 1993, he worked as the music director of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. Smith earned a doctorate from the University of Louisville in 1992. As a pianist, Leighton-Smith accompanied many prominent musicians and singers, including Franco Corelli, Sherrill Milnes, Zara Nelsova, Ruggiero Ricci, Jennie Tourel, Renata Tebaldi, Walter Trampler, and Pinchas Zukerman. He also recorded Ferruccio Busoni's complete works for two pianos with Daniell Revenaugh. In 1986, Smith became the first American conductor to lead Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. Throughout his career, Leighton-Smith had guest appearances with nearly every major orchestra in the United States, and served as a music director for many prominent ensembles, including: • The Metropolitan Opera (1964–67) – assistant conductor • Westchester Symphony Orchestra (1967–69) • The Phoenix Symphony (1970–73) – principal guest conductor • Oregon Symphony Orchestra (1973–80) • San Antonio Symphony Orchestra (1980–85) • North Carolina Symphony (1980–81) – artistic advisor and pgc • The Louisville Orchestra (1983–94) • New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (1997–2000) – pgc
Track list and 30sec audio provided by
Title | Artist | Year | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Symphonies 1 & 3 / Seattle Slew Orchestral Suite | William Bolcom - The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith | 2005 | Album |
Clarinet Concertos | Richard Stoltzman, The National Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith | 2001 | Album |
Music of John Corigliano | John Corigliano, The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith, James Tocco | 1994 | Album |
Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 3, Seattle Slew Orchestral Suite | William Bolcom, The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith | 1992 | Compil. |
Island Rhythms / Kentucky Concerto / Pro Et Contra | The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith - Joan Tower / Otto Luening / Sofia Gubaidulina | 1991 | Album |
Music Of Ezra Laderman (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra / Sanctuary / Citadel) | The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith, Elmar Oliveira - Ezra Laderman | 1990 | Album |
Brian Fennelly: Fantasy Variations / Sydney Hodkinson: Sinfonia Concertante | The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith, Brian Fennelly, Sydney Hodkinson | 1989 | Album |
Housewarming / Symphony Of Spirituals | The Louisville Orchestra, Morton Gould, Lawrence Leighton-Smith | 1989 | Album |
Symphony 1933 (Symphony No. 1) , Concerto For Violin And Orchestra | Roy Harris / The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith, Jorge Mester, Gregory Fulkerson | 1987 | Album |
The Moscow Sessions Vol 3 | Lawrence Leighton-Smith, Dimitrij Kitaenko, Dmitri Shostakovich, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Charles Griffes, Alexander Glazunov, Burl Ives | 1987 | Album |
Pone, "La Serenissima"; Consoli, "Afterimages"; Pillin, "Symphony, Op. 3"; Suber, "Symphony: Of Wind And Light" | The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith | 1986 | Album |
The Glass Bead Game; A Movement For Orchestra; Ricercare | The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton-Smith, Claude Baker, Robert Bernhardt, John B. Foley, Walter Piston, James R. Rightmyer | Album | |
Béla Bartók Sonata For Solo Violin, Second Sonata For Violin & Piano | Gabriel Banat, Lawrence Leighton-Smith | Album |