Solomon, Izler
Solomon, Izler
Solomon, Izler, American conductor; b. St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 11, 1910; d. Fort Wayne, Ind., Dec. 6, 1987. He took violin lessons with Myron Poliakin in Philadelphia and Michael Press in N.Y.; then studied at Mich. State Coll. (1928–31). He made his debut as a conductor with the Lansing (Mich.) Civic Orch. on March 17, 1932; led that orch. until 1936; then conducted the Ill. Sym. Orch. (1936–42) and the Columbus (Ohio) Phil. (1941–49); was guest conductor of the Israel Phil, during its American tour in 1951. His major post, which established his reputation, was as music director of the Indianapolis Sym. Orch. (1956–75), which he brought to a level of excellence. In his programs he included many modern American works. In 1976 he suffered a stroke, which ended his career.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire