Norman Leyden

Norman Leyden, associate conductor of the Oregon Symphony for twenty-nine seasons and music director for the symphony's Pops series for thirty-four, retired in 2004. A graduate of Yale University, he earned a doctoral degree at Columbia University. During World War II, he served with Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band, and after the war he arranged and conducted for many radio, television, and recording artists. He has guest conducted more than forty American orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and San Francisco symphonies. In 1991, he was a recipient of the Oregon Governor's Arts Award. Norman Leyden died on July 23, 2014.