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Fleischmann (Ernest) papers
LSC.2293
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Ernest Fleischmann papers
Creator:
Fleischmann, Ernest
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2293
Physical Description:
41 Linear Feet
(96 boxes, 2 half boxes, 3 flat boxes, 1 carton)
Date (inclusive): 1935-2010
Date (bulk): 1990-2010
Abstract: Ernest Fleischmann (1924-2010) was a German-born conductor and impresario who ran the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1969-1998
and helped to elevate it to a world-class symphonic orchestra. He was recognized as an accomplished talent scout, recruiting
conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel to Los Angeles, and was a driving force behind the building of the Walt Disney
Concert Hall and the revitalization of the Hollywood Bowl. Fleishmann also served as a consultant to numerous artistic organizations
through his agency, Fleischmann Arts. The collection contains materials spanning from his early career in South Africa and
with the London Symphony Orchestra, to his tenure with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and later consulting work. Included are
administrative files, consulting files, writings, published articles and speeches, correspondence with musicians and composers,
awards, and photographs.
Language of Material: Materials are primarily in English. Collection contains a small amount of material in French, German, Russian, Czech, Finnish,
Spanish and Italian.
Physical Location: Stored off-site at SRLF. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button
located on this page.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. All requests to access special collections material must be made in
advance using the request button located on this page.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Copyright to portions of this collection has been assigned to the UCLA Library Special Collections. The library can grant
permission to publish for materials to which it holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish must be submitted
in writing to the UCLA Library Special Collections Librarian Special Collections. Credit shall be given as follows: The Regents
of the University of California on behalf of the UCLA Library Special Collections.
[Identification of item], Ernest Fleischmann papers (Collection 2293). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Stephanie, Jessica, and Martin Fleischmann; gift; 2015 and 2016.
Processed by Courtney Dean, Kuhelika Ghosh, and Sabrina Ponce, 2018.
Boxes 1-16 were processed by a third-party working with Ernest Fleischmann before his death.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
8099172
Ernest Fleischmann was born on December 7, 1924 in Frankfurt, Germany. As a boy, his Jewish family immigrated to South Africa,
following the rise of Nazism. In 1942, at the age of seventeen, he made his debut as a professional conductor as well as a
music critic, conducting numerous performances in South Africa. Fleischmann married architect Elsa Leviseur in 1953, and the
marriage eventually ended in divorce.
Fleischmann earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of the Witwatersrand and a degree in music from
the University of Cape Town in 1954. He held various jobs in music as a conductor and radio producer in South Africa, from
1948-1959, including organizing music for the Johannesburg Festival in 1957. After rejecting an offer from the Cape Town Symphony
Orchestra, Fleischmann became the General Manager of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in 1959. He left the LSO in 1967
and worked for a short time as the European director of CBS Masterworks Records (1967-1969).
In 1969 Fleischmann became Executive Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) and General Director of the Hollywood
Bowl. In 1988 he was promoted to Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
(LAPA), where he remained until his retirement in 1998. During his tenure, Fleischmann more than doubled the pay for musicians
and added a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1985, Fleischmann was named General Administrator and Artistic Director
of the Paris Opera. However, he turned down the post soon after. In 1987, Lillian Disney donated $50 million towards the construction
of the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall which eventually opened in 2003. Fleischmann was in charge of selecting
conductors for the LA Phil and brought in Carlo Maria Giulini as conductor from 1978 to 1985, who was later replaced by André
Previn. Previn had an ongoing feud with Fleischmann and left at the end of 1989. Fleischmann hired Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka
Salonen in 1992 and helped recruit his successor, Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel, who became the LA Phil's conductor in 2009.
He retired from LAPA in 1998 after a 29-year tenure. From 1998 to 2003, Fleischmann was the artistic director of the Ojai
Music Festival, and also started his own consulting agency for musicians, Fleischmann Arts.
On June 13, 2010, Fleischmann died at the age 85 in Los Angeles. He was survived by his three children, Jessica, Stephanie,
and Martin.
The collection consists primarily of administrative materials related to the lengthy career of former conductor and Executive
Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ernest Fleischmann. Included are a wealth of business papers
from his time with the LA Phil including correspondence with musicians and composers, day books, speeches, musical ephemera,
and materials relating to his involvement in numerous competitions and recruitments. Also included are files pertaining to
his consulting firm, Fleischmann Arts, in which he worked with musical organizations around the world. In addition, the collection
contains a small amount of personal materials such as writings, press, awards, and photographs, as well as materials relating
to his early life and career in South Africa in the late 1930s to early 1950s.
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Early life, 1935-1975
- Series 2: Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1970-2010
- Subseries 2.1: Administrative files, 1988-2010
- Subseries 2.2: Correspondence and subject files, 1980-2008
- Subseries 2.3: Programming and publicity materials, 1970-2010
- Series 3: Fleischmann Arts, 1992-2010
- Subseries 3.1: Consultancies and administrative materials, 1992-2008
- Subseries 3.2 Ojai Festival, 1996-2007
- Subseries 3.3. Colburn Foundation, 1998-2010
- Series 4: Writings and personal materials, 1960-2010
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS AUDIO MATERIALS: Audio materials in this collection will require assessment and possible digitization
for safe access. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Oral history with Ernest Fleischman. UCLA Library Special Collections, Center for Oral History interview, 1999-2000. Available at UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Conductors (Music) -- Archives.
Symphony orchestras -- Administration -- Archives.
Fleischmann, Ernest -- Archives
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Fleischmann Arts
- Collection Overview
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Collection Details
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- Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
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- Provenance/Source of Acquisition
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- Biography/History
- Scope and Content
- Organization and Arrangement
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
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