Daniel Lewis (conductor)

Daniel George Lewis (born May 10, 1925) is an American orchestral conductor and University Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California (USC).

Trained as a violinist, Lewis studied at the Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont Graduate University) and the Hochschule fuer Musik in Munich. He also spent time with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Daniel Lewis arrived at the USC Thornton School of Music in 1970. As director of conducting studies and head of the orchestral music program, he helped make the USC Symphony one of the most respected conservatory ensembles in the nation. He was head of the School of Music from 1976 to 1995. In 1984, he became the first faculty member of the School of Music to receive the title of University Professor. Some notable quotes regarding his teaching style:

He has also held academic positions at the New England Conservatory of Music; University of California, San Diego; California State University, Fullerton; and the Colburn School. He taught at the Conductors’ Institute (New York), the Aspen School of Music, and many of the American Symphony Orchestra League’s conducting workshops.

In 1982, he served with Leonard Bernstein as artistic co-director of the first season of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, and remained on the faculty for many seasons thereafter.

From 1971 to 1982, he was Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony. Under Lewis' leadership, the orchestra became fully professional, winning critical acclaim and five ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) awards for adventuresome programming.

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