Lesley Leighton, assistant conductor

Whether conducting the 94 voices of the Los Robles Master Chorale, USCs Oriana Women's Choir, or the newly-formed New West Symphony Chorus in Ventura County, Lesley Leighton's primary mission remains the same: preserving and nurturing southern California's rich choral music tradition – a tradition that she has been a part of since childhood. A native of Los Angeles, Leighton studied with Paul Salamunovich at Loyola Marymount University, where she earned a BA in choral conducting, before teaching High School music for five years in Glendale. She later obtained an MM in vocal performance from the University of Southern California, where she is currently completing work on a DMA in choral music with her mentor and nationally recognized choral musician, Jo-Michael Scheibe.

Leighton's career as a professional singer has taken her across the United States and abroad over the past two decades. A long-standing member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and principal guest artist with several major opera companies and symphonic orchestras, she has performed with many of the world's most eminent conductors, including Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, the late Roger Wagner and current LAMC Music Director, Grant Gershon. Her opera credits include principal appearances with New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Köln Opera, and Glyndebourne.

As a choral conductor, Leighton embraces a broad range of music, from the Renaissance to the Romantic Era, although she is particularly dedicated to 20th and 21st century compositions. In 2009, Leighton was invited to conduct the 240-voice choir at the annual Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service, duties she will undertake again in 2011, and she recently guest conducted the Fauré Requiem and Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music as part of the Santa Monica First United Methodist Church Summer Sing-Along music series. A long-time advocate of music education, she inaugurated Los Robles Master Chorale's annual High School Choral Festival in March 2010, and this fall will launch a new choral leadership workshop for high school students. In addition to her recent appointment as music director of the newly-formed New West Symphony Chorus, which will give its premiere performance of Carmina Burana in May 2011 at the Thousand Arts Civic Arts Plaza, Leighton begins her appointment as assistant conductor of Los Angeles Master Chorale in July 2010.

The recipient of a two-year TAship from the Thornton School of Music at USC, Leighton was also honored in 2010 by the choral department for her work with the Thornton Chamber Singers, and in 2009 by the university's Remarkable Women Awards, in recognition of her "outstanding accomplishments and endless dedication" in the area of choral music.