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Lawrence Leighton Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1936. He studied math at Oregon State University, then transferred to Portland State University to study music, earning his bachelor's degree in 1956. He then briefly continued to study graduate-level mathematics at New York University, but dropped out to focus on music. In 1959, he earned a music degree from Mannes College of Music. He later earned a doctorate in music from the University of Louisville in 1992. He studied music under Ariel Rubstein in Oregon and Leonard Shure in New York. He was a pianist and conductor for many symphonies around the country, including the Metropolitan Opera from 1964 to 1967 and the Oregon Symphony from 1973 to 1980. He died in 2013.
Oral history interview with Lawrence Leighton Smith, by Linda S. Dodds, SR 9343, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Lawrence Leighton Smith was conducted by Linda S. Dodds on May 12, 1980, in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.
In this interview, Smith discusses his family background and early life in Portland, particularly his early musical education. He talks about his experience studying music at Portland State University, with Ariel Rubstein, and at Mannes College of Music. He describes serving as assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera from 1964 to 1967. He then speaks at length about his career as conductor and music director for the Oregon Symphony in Portland from 1973 to 1980, including working with musicians, developing programs, and playing to Oregon audiences. He closes the interview by talking about his hopes for his next career as music director for the San Antonio Symphony.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,