The War on Music—Reclaiming the Twentieth Century
John Mauceri is a Grammy, Tony, Olivier, Emmy award-winning conductor and educator. He was appointed to the faculty of Yale University when he was 22 years old and made his professional orchestral debut at 27. He is the former music director of four opera companies, three symphony orchestras, and has music directed three productions on Broadway.
Mauceri worked with Leonard Bernstein for 18 years, editing and conducting the composer’s major premieres at Mr. Bernstein’s request. In 1991, the Los Angeles Philharmonic created the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for him where, for sixteen seasons, he conducted an unprecedented 325 concerts at the 18,000-seat venue to a combined audience of four million people.
Regarded as the world’s leading performer of the music of Hollywood’s émigré composers as well as composers outlawed by the Third Reich, he has taken the lead in the restoration and performance of many kinds of music with over 70 albums to his name.
His third and latest book, The War on Music, published by Yale University Press, was cited as a “Best Summer Read” by the Financial Times and was a Los Angeles Times “Top Ten Best Seller.” John McWhorter of The New York Times wrote, “It’s a gorgeous thing—every sentence. I am in awe.” His previously published books are Maestros and Their Music—the Art and Alchemy of Conducting and For the Love of Music—A Conductor’s Guide to the Art of Listening (both published by Knopf).
Mr. Mauceri's Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by the Open Academy at CMC.