Leon Fleisher

Leon Fleisher (born July 23, 1928) is an American pianist and conductor. Leon Fleisher press photo. ... Leon Fleisher press photo. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. ...

He was born in San Francisco, California, where he started studying the piano at age 4. He made his public debut at age 8 and played with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Monteux at 16. He studied with Artur Schnabel. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States. ... Pierre Monteux (April 4, 1875 – July 1, 1964) was an orchestra conductor. ... Artur Schnabel (April 17, 1882 – August 15, 1951) was a classical pianist, who also composed and taught. ...

He made a memorable series of recordings with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra before losing the use of his right hand due to focal dystonia. He continued performing the left-handed repertoire until he quite recently regained the use of his right hand through the injection of botox. He also undertook conducting during this time, serving at one time as Music Director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in Maryland. He is particularly well-known for his interpretations of the piano concerti of Brahms and Beethoven. In 2004, Vanguard Classics released Leon Fleisher's first "two-handed" recording in over 40 years, entitled "Two Hands," to critical acclaim. "Two Hands" is also the title of a short documentary on Fleisher by Nathaniel Kahn which was nominated for an Academy Award for best short subject on January 23, 2007. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the major symphony orchestras in the United States. ... Focal dystonia is a neurological condition affecting a muscle or muscles in a part of the body causing an undesirable muscular contraction or twisting. ... Botulin toxin or botox is the toxic compound produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. ... City nickname: Americas Sailing Capital Location in the state of Maryland Founded 1649 Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 19. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... A piano concerto is a concerto for solo piano and orchestra. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1820 portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler Ludwig van Beethoven (IPA: ), (baptized December 17, 1770[1] – March 26, 1827) was a German composer. ... Nathaniel Kahn is an American documentary filmmaker. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...

Fleisher's musical interests extend beyond the central German Romantic repertory. The American composer William Bolcom composed his Concerto for Two Pianos, Left Hand for Fleisher and his close friend Gary Graffman, who has also suffered from debilitating problems with his right hand. It received its first performance in Baltimore in April 1996. The concerto is constructed in such a way that it can be performed in one of three ways, with either piano part alone with reduced orchestra, or with both piano parts and the two reduced orchestras combined into a full orchestra. William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer of chamber, operatic, and symphonic music. ... Gary Graffman (born 14 October 1928) is an American pianist specializing in classical and symphonic works. ...

He has continued to be involved in music, both conducting and teaching at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. As a teacher, Fleisher has carried on a tradition that descends directly from Beethoven himself, handed down generationally through Carl Czerny, Theodor Leschetizky, Artur Schnabel, Fleisher himself, and then to hundreds of Fleisher's own piano students over nearly half a century. His influence on classical pianists of the current day, especially in North America, is enormous. Today his students are among piano faculty members at major music schools. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the Peabody Conservatory of Music (or just The Peabody) is one of the most prestigious musical institutions in the world, and also the first conservatory in America. ... The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. ... Carl Czerny, lithograph by Joseph Kriehuber, 1833 Carl Czerny (sometimes Karl; February 21, 1791 – July 15, 1857) was an Austrian pianist, composer and teacher. ... Theodor Leschetizky Teodor Leszetycki (sometimes also referred to by a germanised name Theodor Leschetizky, June 22, 1830 - November 14, 1915) was a Polish pianist, teacher and composer. ... Artur Schnabel (April 17, 1882 – August 15, 1951) was a classical pianist, who also composed and taught. ...

Awards and Recognitions

Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition of Belgium The Queen Elisabeth music Competition, a founder member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (1957) has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious, but also one of the most difficult in existence. ...

• Leon Fleisher for piano (1952)

Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

"Instrumentalist of the Year", Musical America (1994)

Honorary doctorates from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Towson State University, The Boston Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music

Johns Hopkins University President's Medal. The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ...

External links

• Leon Fleisher biography

• Wisconsin Public Radio program includes an interview with Leon Fleisher [1]

• Newsweek, 1 April 2004, article and transcript of interview [2]

• On his disability and claimed holstic cure