Oregon Symphony Conductor Bio

Norman Leyden

Laureate Associate Conductor

The 2010/11 season marks Norman Leyden’s sixth as the Oregon Symphony’s laureate associate conductor. He retired in 2004 after 34 seasons as music director of the Oregon Symphony Pops series and 29 seasons as its associate conductor.

A graduate of Yale University in 1938, Leyden later earned a doctoral degree at Columbia University. During World War II he served with Maj. Glenn Miller’s legendary Air Force Band in England and France. In the post-war years he arranged for many prominent radio, television and recording artists, including Frank Sinatra, Mitch Miller, Sarah Vaughan and Tony Bennett.

In 1970 Leyden initiated the Oregon Symphony’s Pops series, for many years one of the most successful programs of its kind in the nation. He also served for 18 years as music director of the Seattle Symphony Pops. In addition to his busy schedule of classical, pops and family concerts with the Oregon Symphony, Leyden has guest-conducted more than 40 leading American orchestras.