McGlinn, John
McGlinn, John
McGlinn, John, American conductor; b. Philadelphia, Sept. 18, 1953. His academic and musical studies led him to pursue an intensive investigation of the scores of the American musical theater. As a result, he dedicated himself to restoring the classic American musicals to their pristine state via original orchestrations and texts. In 1985 he won critical accolades when he conducted the Jerome Kern Centennial Festival at N.Y.’s Carnegie Hall. In subsequent years, he returned there with major success and also appeared as a guest conductor with various major North American orchs. His recordings were especially valuable in documenting America’s golden era on Broadway. He occasionally appeared as an opera conductor as well. In 1988 he made his first appearance in London leading the London Sym. Orch’s 70th birthday concert in honor of Leonard Bernstein. His championship of Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Vincent Youmans, and Richard Rodgers has been particularly notable.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire