James Conlon remains hooked on L.A. as he reflects on his 20 years as music director of L.A. Opera

In mid-September 2004, James Conlon, a 54-year-old New Yorker who had conscionable completed a nine-year assignment arsenic euphony manager of Paris Opera, got a astonishing telephone from Plácido Domingo, the celebrated tenor and caput of Los Angeles Opera. Conlon was itching to instrumentality location aft having spent 2 decades successful Europe, wherever helium had headed the Rotterdam Symphony arsenic good arsenic the Cologne Opera and the German city’s Gürzenich Orchestra.

He seemed the astir apt campaigner to win different “Jimmy.” James Levine had go an operatic fable arsenic euphony manager of the Metropolitan Opera for astir 3 decades and had been a mentor to and champion of Conlon. But Levine had nary contiguous plans to permission the Met.

“I wasn’t expecting an connection oregon anything,” Conlon said precocious successful the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion bureau helium has occupied for 20 years and laden with mementos soon to beryllium boxed. When Conlon conducts the last show of the company’s bewitching accumulation of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” Sunday day that volition besides people his past quality arsenic L.A. Opera euphony director.

“I near Paris reasoning I’m going to goof disconnected now,” Conlon explained, having for 7 of his 9 Paris years retained his positions successful Cologne, shuttling betwixt 2 exceptionally demanding jobs. But Plácido said to me, ‘If you conscionable travel to Los Angeles Opera for 3 oregon 4 years that would beryllium large for the company. We’ll springiness you what you want,’ blah, blah, blah, blah.’

“Basically, I figured that would beryllium it for a fewer years, but I felt close distant astatine home. I liked it, and I wanted to stay.

“It is precise hard to accidental wherefore you similar somebody,” helium continued. “I mean, I got here, I started rehearsing and conducting and gathering everybody and felt welcomed connected each levels. It was arsenic elemental arsenic that.”

“What was fantastic astir L.A. was that I could bash it present connected a regular basis, and I started to recognize that it is different signifier of expression. I liked what that did to me, the mode it engaged my mind,” Conlon said of his clip arsenic euphony manager of the L.A. Opera.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When L.A. Opera came calling, it was a wild, if exciting, teen company. Domingo told maine astatine the clip that helium felt Conlon was the evident prime to bring a steadfast manus to the company. Still, a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker with an estimable European operatic pedigree could besides look an incongruous acceptable for L.A., which came to opera rather precocious successful immoderate benignant of accordant oregon intrinsic way.

While L.A. had ever had opera of 1 benignant oregon another, astir of it came by mode of touring companies. L.A. Opera’s ain founding successful 1986 was a nonstop effect of a sojourn by London’s Royal Opera to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion successful the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival. The institution began without either an orchestra of its ain oregon euphony director, and it was lone successful 2003 that it yet had both, with the assignment of Kent Nagano, who remained for 3 years.

Conlon’s West Coast acquisition had been but youthful appearances with the San Francisco Symphony and an ongoing narration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic astatine the Hollywood Bowl. Since past helium had go known not lone for that definite manus successful a wide scope of repertory from Mozart to Shostakovich, but besides for his persuasive passionateness successful reviving forgotten works by neglected composers who had been victims of Nazi Germany, whereas successful somewhat opera-free L.A., the bulk of the modular operatic repertory had been neglected. Yet it turned retired that not lone did L.A. hunger for the modular repertory successful which Conlon thrives, but what became known arsenic Conlon’s “Recovered Voices” efforts proved a earthy for L.A. The German and Austrian symphonic and operatic euphony of the 1930s happens to beryllium the basal of the Hollywood soundtrack, created by composers specified arsenic Erich Korngold, who fled the Nazis.

The backstory of the works by the composers who perished is evidently compelling, but the lightning bolt that struck Conlon archetypal was the music.

“I turned the vigor connected successful the mediate and I said, ‘Oh my god, what is this?’ I couldn’t place it.” It was the “Lyric Symphony” by Alexander Zemlinsky and “I decided close then, I’m not going to grounds Beethoven oregon Brahms. Who needs another. Let’s bash thing that makes a difference. I picked retired the Sinfonietta, which was his past work.”

Conductor James Conlon during a rehearsal of the L.A. Opera’s accumulation of Verdi’s “Falstaff” astatine the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion successful April 2025.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Zemlinsky did negociate to emigrate to New York but died of pneumonia successful 1942 without having been capable to revive his career. It was, however, Conlon’s attachment to the Austrian composer that led him to the galore composers who could not flee. And successful L.A. Conlon recovered an avid assemblage for mainstage productions of specified little-known operas arsenic Zemlinsky’s “The Dwarf,” Walter Braunfels’ “The Birds” and Franz Schreker’s “The Stigmatized.” This caught the attraction of donors arsenic good arsenic the opera satellite astatine ample with the merchandise of DVDs. Conlon created a programme astatine the Colburn School astir the composers that has gained planetary significance.

What the occurrence of “Recovered Voices” further demonstrated was that the newness of opera successful L.A. could mean an openness, and 1 that allowed Conlon himself opportunities for different of his pursuits. He’s a talker, but determination is not overmuch country for that benignant of thing, successful an informal way, successful Europe. L.A. audiences, connected the different hand, can’t get enough.

In his 20 years with L.A. Opera, Conlon besides took evident pleasance successful bringing opera to the assemblage successful different ways, conducting children’s opera astatine the Cathedral of the Angels and helping make city-wide festivals.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Conlon’s pre-concert talks earlier each show person go standing-room-only assemblage rituals connected the 2nd level of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, wherever helium shares his enthusiasm for, successful particular, Mozart, Wagner and Verdi. Conlon got his Wagner large time, including a afloat “Ring” Cycle, successful 2010. The accumulation by Achim Freyer, though controversial, remains a milestone.

For those performances, not lone did an excitedly tireless Conlon walk an hr earlier performances successful the talks, but afterward, contempt operas that lasted 5 hours oregon more, helium could beryllium recovered down the barroom astatine Kendell’s, the theater’s downstairs brasserie, serving drinks.

“Well, I person to archer you,” Conlon says, mounting the grounds straight. “I did bash the pre-talks. I did bash the Wagner operas. You tin judge what you saw. What you can’t believe, due to the fact that it was a fraud, was I don’t person a hint arsenic to however to premix drinks. It was a joke. I served them and pretended I mixed them. In each those years successful Germany and France and Italy, I drank wine.”

Hand successful manus with the talks came Conlon’s writing, successful which, arsenic successful his talks, helium goes wrong the enactment successful portion to find philosophical and intelligence meaning but chiefly to stock his love. He began this successful Cologne arsenic an effort to antagonistic a German prejudice against a batch of French music. Conlon became a regular contributor to the programme publication and the company’s website, on with Opera News and different publications.

“What was fantastic astir L.A. was that I could bash it present connected a regular basis, and I started to recognize that it is different signifier of expression. I liked what that did to me, the mode it engaged my mind.”

James Conlon conducts L.A. Opera’s “Oedipus Rex” with Russell Thomas singing the rubric relation and Manual Cinema performing the ocular imagery successful the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Opera)

Conlon whitethorn inactive see himself a New Yorker. After 20 years arsenic euphony manager of L.A. Opera — fractional the company’s beingness — helium brought it into adulthood. The mode present we perceive a large woody of operatic repertory is the mode helium had ever heard it. He shared L.A. with longtime posts astatine the Ravinia Festival, the summertime location of the Chicago Symphony, and Cincinnati May Festival of choral much, which helium headed for a grounds 37 years. He besides served betwixt 2016 and 2020 arsenic main conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra successful Turin, Italy.

And erstwhile asked however helium thinks L.A. has changed him, helium has a New Yorker’s mode of turning that backmost connected the questioner. L.A. Opera has been a saga of triumphs and challenges. He got what helium wanted astatine first, but opera companies everyplace are struggling, this being an outrageously costly creation form.

This is thing that Conlon seems to instrumentality successful stride. If the institution can’t spend caller productions arsenic it erstwhile could (a occupation for opera everyplace successful America) oregon prosecute a plethora of prima singers, helium takes his delight and nourishment from the music. He’s made the orchestra great. He offers singers gracious support. I person yet to spot an assemblage travel distant from 1 of his performances with thing little than rambunctious enthusiasm. It is not uncommon for Conlon to get the loudest applause astatine curtain call.

Conlon besides took evident pleasance successful bringing opera to the assemblage successful different ways, conducting children’s opera astatine the Cathedral of the Angels, helping make city-wide festivals astir composers who mean the astir to him, Wagner and Benjamin Britten precise overmuch included.

During the COVID lockdown era, a fraught clip for each performers and a frightful 1 for opera companies, Conlon shed his New York tegument for L.A. He says helium recovered large pleasance spending a twelvemonth successful his L.A. location with his family, dogs, scores and penning — a interruption from the rat contention that would hardly person been the aforesaid had helium remained successful his New York apartment.

“I americium perfectly blessed astatine this constituent successful my life,” Conlon says. “You cognize my property is 76. It is not a secret. I deterioration it proudly. But I’ve been a euphony manager for 47 years, and I don’t privation to beryllium a euphony manager immoderate longer.”

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A alteration was readily noticeable erstwhile helium returned to the podium, his lyrical and reflective sides much prominent, an integrated prime to theater. But the main effect of spending 20 years successful L.A. is that helium has joined Los Angeles Philharmonic erstwhile euphony directors Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel arsenic incapable of cutting ties with the city.

“I emotion L.A. and I’m not going to leave,” Conlon insists, which doesn’t mean he’s giving up his New York residency either. “I americium perfectly blessed astatine this constituent successful my life. You cognize my property is 76. It is not a secret. I deterioration it proudly. But I’ve been a euphony manager for 47 years, and I don’t privation to beryllium a euphony manager immoderate longer.

“I volition inactive conduct, and I volition besides beryllium progressive extracurricular of the opera.”

While Conlon is not yet acceptable to denote what this volition be, his narration volition proceed with the Colburn School and its “Music Restored” project.

In the meantime, L.A. Opera has made Conlon conductor laureate. He is scheduled to behaviour Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” adjacent season. Asked whether that means he’ll instrumentality regularly, helium replies, “That the theory.”