Where are the American conductors?

Leonard Bernstein's ascendancy to the music directorship of the New York Philharmonic in 1958 has often been hailed as a watershed moment in American music history.  Here was one of our "own"--an American-born conductor serving as the leader of one of America's (as well as the world's) great orchestras.  The Philharmonic itself wrote of a program offered shortly after Bernstein's death in 1990, “His 11 years as our Music Director [1958-1969] and 21 years as our Laureate Conductor were periods of brilliance in the Orchestra’s history. Mr. Bernstein will be remembered for his genius, his leadership, his humanitarianism, his ability to transmit his love of music to young and old, his dedication to our Orchestra, his service to young musicians, and his unforgettable, ebullient and caring personality. We are grateful for his legacy.”

I am left wondering what has become of Bernstein's legacy?  Where is the next great "American" conductor to assume the mantle of our "musician-in-chief" for Bernstein was not just a force on New York's podium but the world's.  He was not merely a conductor, but a composer, teacher, author, and lecturer (to audiences as diverse as his Young People's Concerts and the famous Norton Lectures at Harvard.

A run-down of the music director's in our major orchestras (let's call them the Big Five just for the sake of argument) shows the dearth in American leadership in American orchestras.

Since Bernstein's departure from New York in 1969, the following have held music directorships with major American orchestras:

New York:  George Szell, Hungary (music advisor, 1969-70) Pierre Boulez, France (1971-1977); Zubin Mehta, India (1978-91); Kurt Masur, Germany (1991-2002); Lorin Maazel, born France; raised and educated in U.S. (2002-09); Alan Gilbert, native New Yorker, (2009- ).

A native New Yorker at the Phil?  Sacre bleu!

Boston:  Seiji Ozawa, Japan (1973-2002); James Levine, U.S. (2004-2011); position currently open.

Philadelphia:  Eugene Ormandy, Hungary (1936-1980); Riccardo Muti, Italy (1980-1992); Wolfgang Sawallisch, Germany (1993-2003); Christoph Eschenbach, German (2003-2008); Charles Duthoit, Switzerland, (2008-present); Yanick Nezet-Seguin, French-Canadian (music director designate).

Cleveland:  George Szell, Hungary (1946-1970); Pierre Boulez, France (music advisor, 1970-1972); Lorin Maazel, (see NY Phil) (1972-1982); Christoph von Dohnanyi, Germany (1984-2002); Franz Welser-Most, Austria (2002-present).

Chicago:  Sir Georg Solti, Hungary (1969-1991); Daniel Barenboim, Argentina-Israel (1991-2006); Bernard Haitink, Netherlands (principal conductor 2006-2010); Riccardo Muti, Italy (2010-present).

Thus, since Bernstein's departure from New York in 1969, it is easy to note the dearth of music directorships in major U.S. orchestras being held by Americans.  Natives of this country seem relegated to the "second tier" of orchestras, if there.  This information is not to be skewed as any kind of xenophobia, but just a statement of the facts that too many American orchestras feel that they need to search elsewhere for music direction.  This is a sad commentary on classical music in our country.

While it is true that the two major centers of conductor "education" (the Aspen Festival in Colorado and the Boston Symphony's Tanglewood Festival) should be churning out first rate candidates for these kinds of positions.  Yet we are being surpassed by the Finns, particularly the "school" of Jorge Panula, who headed up the program at the Sibelius Academy from 1973-1993.  Those who have followed him are former students who have continued to adopt Panula's highly successful program from its original "man without a method" approach to a new generation of professionals.  The increasing number of internationally-known conductors passing through Helsinki is almost staggering.

The Dudamel phenomenon

And yet, an apprentice conducting program has recently developed in the United States, through the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Dudamel Fellowship Program, offering "a unique opportunity for promising young conductors from around the world to develop their craft and enrich their musical experience through personal mentorship and participation in the LA Phil's orchestral, education and community programs."  The four conductors selected for the 2011-12 season hail from Venezuela, Romania, Northern Ireland, and (surprise!) Helsinki.  In fact, in the three years of the program's existence, it has been over-represented with Venezuelans, all while including only one American-born conductor (Joshua Weilerstein in 2010-2011).

It seems as though the time is ripe for an American resurgence in classical music.  Just as we should no longer be apologetic for our music (when compared to the great German tradition--that sets me up for a post on orchestral repertoire) we must be willing to accept that a distinctly American voice can effective speak our musical language and lead our nation's orchestras.  It's not xenophobia or ethnocentrism; it's how we view ourselves in the grand scheme of modern art music.  Who will be our next Bernstein, assuming he or she is really out there.