The Florida Orchestra

Marcelo Lehninger
Guest Conductor

Brazilian-born Marcelo Lehninger is increasingly recognized as one of the most gifted conductors of his generation. Appointed music director of the New West Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles, his growing reputation as a dynamic conductor inspires musicians and audiences of all ages worldwide.

Assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Lehninger was selected by James Levine and is the second Brazilian conductor to hold this position; the first was Eleazar de Carvalho, who shared the duties with Leonard Bernstein. His success with the BSO was recognized when his tenure was extended through 2013.

Lehninger made his BSO debut in 2010 with the violinist Pinchas Zukerman as soloist and in 2011 he stepped in for Maestro Levine on very short notice to conduct the world premiere of Harrison Birtwistle's Violin Concerto and Bartok’s Second Violin Concerto with Christian Testzlaff as soloist. In 2012, Lehninger filled in for Andris Nelsons, conducting a program that included the American premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Trumpet Concerto From the Wreckage with Håkan Hardenberger as soloist as well as Strauss’ Thus Spake Zarathustra. He also successfully conducted a program, without any rehearsals, that included Stravinsky’s Piano and Winds Concerto with Peter Serkin and Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony.

Lehninger’s made a highly praised debut at Carnegie Hall with the BSO in 2011. Critic Anthony Tommasini wrote in The New York Times: "He was terrific, conducting all three works with impressive technique, musical insight and youthful energy." Maestro Lehninger's other BSO appearances include his Tanglewood debut in the summer of 2012 with pianist Nelson Freire and a subscription week in the 2012/13 season with violinist Joshua Bell.

As a guest conductor in the United States, he has led the Boston, Houston, National, New West, Hartford, Fairfax and Jacksonville symphony orchestras. In Canada, Lehninger made his debut in 2011 conducting the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Acclaimed by The Washington Post as "an alert, dynamic figure," he served as cover conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra's subscription concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and associate conductor of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra in Brazil.

An alumnus of the National Conducting Institute, he made a successful debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in 2007 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and was invited to conduct the NSO again in the summer of 2008.

Lehninger was music advisor of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas for the 2007/08 season. Placido Domingo serves as artistic advisor for the ensemble, which is composed of 120 talented musicians from more than twenty countries throughout the Americas. In summer of 2008, Lehninger toured with YOA and pianist Nelson Freire in South America.

In 2001 he placed second in the First Eleazar de Carvalho National Conducting Competition in Rio de Janeiro, subsequently leading all of the top orchestras in Brazil as well as regular guest conducting in Argentina.

Chosen by Kurt Masur, in 2008, Lehninger was awarded the First Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Scholarship sponsored by the American Friends of the Mendelssohn Foundation. He was Maestro Masur’s assistant with the Orchestre National de France (during their residency at the Musikverein in Vienna), Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and the New York Philharmonic.

Lehninger participated in the 2009 Malko Competition in Denmark, leading the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra at Copenhagen's Koncerthuset and in the 2011 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, conducting the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Upcoming appearances include re-engagements with the Boston, New West, Brazilian and São Paulo Symphony orchestras, Minas Gerais and Hamilton Philharmonic orchestras as well as his debut with the New Jersey and Seattle symphonies in the United States, and the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester at the Philharmonie in Berlin, Germany.

Before dedicating his career to conducting, Lehninger studied violin and piano. He holds a master's degree from the Conductors Institute at New York's Bard College, where he studied conducting under Harold Farberman and composition with Laurence Wallach. His mentors also include Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Moche Atzmon, Andreás Weiss and Roberto Tibiriçá.

A citizen of Brazil and Germany, Marcelo Goulart Lehninger is the son of pianist Sônia Goulart and violinist Erich Lehninger. Marcelo, his wife Laura and daughter Sofia divide their time between Boston and Los Angeles.

For more information on Maestro Lehninger, please visit www.marcelolehninger.com.

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