Marcelo Lehninger is one of six finalists to replace Lucas Richman as music director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. As part of the selection process, Lehninger will conduct KSO’s Masterworks concerts on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Friday, Oct. 23, at the Tennessee Theatre, featuring the music of Shostakovich, Ravel, Debussy, and Respighi.
AGE: 36
CURRENT POSITION: Music director of the New West Symphony in Los Angeles since 2012
PREVIOUS POSITION: Associate conductor of the Boston Symphony (2010-2015)
EDUCATION: Master’s degree from the Conductor’s Institute at New York’s Bard College
BIRTHPLACE: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Sarasota, Fla.
HONORS: 2014 recipient of the Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras, 2008 recipient of the First Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Scholarship.
WEBSITE: marcelolehninger.com
IN HIS OWN WORDS: “I’ve just completed a five-year tenure with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, first as assistant and then associate conductor, have served as music director of the New West Symphony in the Los Angeles area, and have been fortunate enough to enjoy a very active guest conducting schedule. These experiences have given me the opportunity to travel the world, working with incredible musicians and making music at an extraordinary level. Now I am ready and enthusiastic to bring that experience to Knoxville, to work collaboratively with KSO management and musicians to bring the level of music making to its highest potential.
“I’m eager to get to know the community, to help grow the KSO’s presence in Knoxville, and to visit schools, helping build our next generation of classical musicians and music lovers. The KSO provides so much to the community already—classical and pops concerts, young people’s concerts, and concerts for underserved communities throughout Tennessee. What better way to get to know Knoxville than through music, both new and old, and helping lead the KSO through its next chapter of excellence.”
Alan Sherrod has been writing about Knoxville’s vibrant classical music scene since 2007. In 2010, he won a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts—the Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera—under the auspices of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He also operates his own blogs, Classical Journal and Arts Knoxville.
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