Fleischmann, Ernest (Martin)

Fleischmann, Ernest (Martin), German-born English music administrator; b. Frankfurt am Main, Dec. 7, 1924. His family moved to Johannesburg, where he studied accounting at the Univ. of the Witwatersrand. He then devoted himself to music studies, obtaining a B.M. at the Univ. of Cape Town (1954). He was ambitious and took lessons in conducting with Coates; also acted as an organizer of musical events, including the Van Riebeeck Festival in Cape Town (1952). Furthermore, he served as director of music and drama for the Johannesburg Festival (1956). In the process he learned Afrikaans, and acquired a literary fluency in English. Seeking ever wider fields of endeavor, he went to London, becoming a naturalized British subject in 1959. Fleischmann was general man-ager of the London Sym. Orch. until 1967 and also made a number of conducting appearances in England. He finally emigrated to the U.S., which became the main center of his activities. From 1969 to 1997 he was executive director of the Los Angeles Phil, as well as general manager of the Hollywood Bowl. Ever sure of his direction, he was a powerful promoter of the orch. he headed, so that the Los Angeles Phil, became actively involved in extensive national and international tours, garnering profitable recording contracts in addition to television and radio broadcasts, youth programs, and special festivals. In 1998 he became artistic director of the Ojai Festival. Well-educated and fluent in several European languages, Fleischmann acquired an international reputation as a highly successful entrepreneur.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire