Barnett, John (Manley)
Barnett, John (Manley)
Barnett, John (Manley), American conductor; b. N.Y., Sept. 3, 1917. He studied piano, violin, and trumpet. He took courses at Teachers Coll. of Columbia Univ., the Manhattan School of Music, and the Salzburg Mozarteum (1936), and received training in conducting from Walter, Weingartner, Enesco, and Malko. He was asst. conductor of the National Orchestral Assn. in N.Y. (1937–41), and also a conductor with the WPA Federal Music Project there (1939–42), serving concurrently as conductor of the Stamford (Conn.) Sym. Orch. From 1946 to 1956 he was assoc. conductor of the Los Angeles Phil., and from 1956 to 1958 its assoc. music director. In 1947 he organized the Phoenix (Ariz.) Sym. Orch., conducting it until 1949. He later served as music director of the Hollywood Bowl (1953–57) and of the Los Angeles Guild Opera Co. (1954–79). From 1958 to 1972 he was music director of the National Orchestral Assn. in N.Y.; from 1961 to 1971 he held the post of music director of the Phil. Sym. Orch. of Westchester, N.Y. From 1972 to 1978 he served as artistic consultant to the NEA. From 1979 to 1985 he was music director of the Puerto Rico Sym. Orch. in Santurce.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire