Leonard Isaacs

Leonard Isaacs (3 January 1909, Manchester, England — 6 December 1997, Winnipeg, Canada) was a Canadian conductor, arranger, pianist, music pedagogue, and radio producer of British origins, son of pianist Edward Isaacs (1881—1953). He worked on BBC between 1936 and 1963, serving as Head of Music on the Third Programme before permanently relocating to Canada. Isaacs naturalized as a Canadian citizen in 1973 and retired from the University Of Manitoba as Professor Emeritus in 1982, teaching privately and performing until his final year. Isaacs traveled to London at sixteen, attending the Royal College of Music from 1925 to 1929, where he studied piano with Herbert Fryer, composition with Gordon Jacob, and trained as a conductor under Sir Malcolm Sargent. Among Leonard's classmates were renowned composers Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett, Imogen Holst, Cecil James, future "husband & wife" duo of flutist John Francis and pianist Millicent Silver, Alan G. Melville, and Arthur Gleghorn. In 1930, Isaacs traveled to the continent, further studying with Alfred Cortot at École Normale de Musique de Paris and taking private lessons with Egon Petri in Berlin. He visited Canada for the first time in 1931, touring as a pianist and English Light Opera deputy conductor. In 1936, two years after graduating from RCM with his Bachelor's degree, Isaacs joined the British Broadcasting Corporation, holding various production and upper management positions over the next three decades. Most notably, Leonard served as the Head of Music for the Third Programme (1950 to 1954), one of the most authoritative and reputable classical music shows (later rebranded as BBC Radio 3), and BBC Home Service (1954 to 1963). Isaacs regularly visited Canada during the 1950s, returning every three years as the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals adjudicator. In 1963, he relocated to Canada permanently, joining the faculty at the University Of Manitoba as the School of Music's director; Isaacs taught at Manitoba for over ten years. In 1974, Leonard was the University Of Calgary's visiting professor and lectured at Carleton University and the Banff Centre For The Arts. He regularly appeared on various CBC radio stations and hosted the CBC Winnipeg Festival (1975 to 1977). Leonard Isaacs composed many original works, but he was best known for the chamber orchestra arrangement of J.S. Bach's Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, first published by Augener & Co. in 1952. Following the premiere by CBC String And Woodwind Ensemble with Alexander Brott and another CBC broadcast under Leonard's baton, Philomusica Of London and George Malcolm presented their critically acclaimed 1965 rendition on Argo (2) label; it was recorded and performed on numerous occasions since.