Leon Botstein facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leon Botstein
President of Bard College
Incumbent
Assumed office 1975
Preceded by	Reamer Kline
Personal details
Born	December 14, 1946 (1946-12-14) (age 78) Zürich, Switzerland
Spouse	Barbara Haskell
Children	4
Relatives	David Botstein (brother)
Education	University of Chicago (BA) Harvard University (MA, PhD)
Occupation	Scholar, Conductor, Educator

Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946, in Zürich, Switzerland) is an American conductor, educator, and scholar. He is best known as the President of Bard College, a role he has held since 1975. He is also a respected conductor and music historian.

Early Life and Education

Leon Botstein was born in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1946. His parents were Polish-Jewish doctors. When he was two years old, his family moved to New York City. Young Leon studied the violin and showed a strong interest in music from a young age.

He graduated from the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan at just 16 years old in 1963. He then went to the University of Chicago, earning a degree in history in 1967. While there, he was involved in the university orchestra as a concertmaster and assistant conductor.

After college, he continued his studies at Harvard University. He focused on the history of music in Vienna during the 1800s and early 1900s. He earned a master's degree in 1968.

Becoming a College President

In 1970, at only 23 years old, Leon Botstein became the youngest college president in history. He was appointed president of Franconia College in New Hampshire.

In 1975, he became the president of Bard College, a position he still holds today. Under his leadership, Bard College has grown a lot. The number of students increased, the campus expanded, and the college became more well-known.

Expanding Bard College's Reach

Botstein helped create many new programs and centers at Bard. These include the Levy Economics Institute, which studies public policy. He also launched graduate programs in fine arts and environmental policy.

He helped Bard College acquire Bard College at Simon's Rock. He also started the Bard High School Early College program. This program allows high school students to earn college credits early. These schools now operate in several cities, including New York City and Washington, D.C..

After a personal loss, Botstein decided to focus more on his musical career. In 1985, he earned his Ph.D. in music history from Harvard University. He then began training to become a conductor.

Music and Arts Leadership

The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College.

In 1990, Botstein started the Bard Music Festival. This festival became very successful and led to the creation of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. This amazing building, designed by Frank Gehry, is on the Bard campus.

In 1992, he became the director of the American Symphony Orchestra. He still holds this position. Under his direction, the orchestra has become known for performing lesser-known musical works.

Botstein also helped create the Bard Prison Initiative in 1999. This program offers college education to people in prisons across the country.

Festivals and International Work

Following the success of the music festival, Botstein developed Bard SummerScape in 2003. This festival features opera, theater, film, and music. He has brought back many rare operas to be performed.

Later in 2003, he became the music director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He led the orchestra on several tours. He stepped down from this role in 2011 but remains connected as their Conductor Laureate and Principal Guest Conductor.

Botstein has also conducted many other famous orchestras around the world. These include the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2005, a recording he conducted was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Leon Botstein conducting the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in 2018.

He also helped start liberal arts programs in other countries. These programs were set up in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. He helped found Bard College Berlin and Smolny College in Russia.

Developing Music Programs

In 2005, Botstein oversaw the creation of The Bard College Conservatory of Music. He also became the director of The Bard Conservatory Orchestra. He helped Bard acquire the Longy School of Music.

He also helped develop "Take a Stand," a national music program in the U.S. In 2015, he founded The Orchestra Now. This is a pre-professional orchestra and master's degree program at Bard College. They perform concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

In 2018, Botstein was named artistic director of Campus Grafenegg in Austria. In 2020, he became chancellor of the Open Society University Network.

In 2019, Botstein appeared in the documentary College Behind Bars. This series was about the Bard Prison Initiative. His daughter, Sarah Botstein, produced the documentary.

Musical Style and Scholarship

Botstein is known for finding and promoting music by composers that are not often heard. As a conductor, he likes to create concert programs around specific themes. These themes can be from literature, music history, or art.

He also has a series called "Classics Declassified." In this series, he gives lectures, conducts, and answers questions from the audience. Both the Bard Music Festival and Bard SummerScape follow his idea of combining performances with scholarly research.

Writings and Research

Botstein's research focuses on how music, culture, and politics have changed since the early 1800s. He has written several books, including The History of Listening: How Music Creates Meaning.

He has also edited books about music history. His essays for The Bard Music Festival are published as a series. He has been the editor of The Musical Quarterly since 1993.

Botstein also writes often about education. He wrote the book Jefferson's Children: Education and the Promise of American Culture. He has also written many articles about education in the United States.

Personal Life

Leon Botstein is the brother of biologist David Botstein. His parents were both doctors who taught at the Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

He is married to art historian Barbara Haskell. They have two children, Clara and Max. Leon Botstein also has two daughters from his first marriage, Sarah and Abby.

Awards and Recognition

Leon Botstein has received many awards for his work in education and music. Some of these include:

• Honorary Doctor of Science from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (2018)
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Yivo Institute for Jewish Research (2015)
• The University of Chicago Alumni Medal (2012)
• Leonard Bernstein Award for the Elevation of Music in Society (2012)
• Elected to the American Philosophical Society (2010)
• Carnegie Academic Leadership Award (2009)
• Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2003)
• Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art (2001)
• Harvard Centennial Medal (1996)
• National Arts Club Gold Medal (1995)

Selected Recordings

Leon Botstein has conducted many recordings. Here are a few examples:

• (2020) Works by Arthur Honegger, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and Othmar Schoeck with The Orchestra Now.
• (2019) Works by Arthur Bliss, Edmund Rubbra, and Arnold Bax with The Orchestra Now.
• (2016) George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Piano Concerto in F with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
• (2015) Paul Hindemith's The Long Christmas Dinner with the American Symphony Orchestra.
• (2008) Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
• (2005) Gavril Popov's Symphony No. 1 with the London Symphonic Orchestra. This recording was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
• (2003) Richard Strauss's Die Ägyptische Helena with the American Symphony Orchestra.
• (1998) Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.