Made to Measure

In bringing Leonard Slatkin on board as its new music director, the DSO found a harmonious fit: a solid conductor who can also drum up support for the orchestra

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A pensive Slatkin at Orchestra Hall

Portrait by Marvin Shaouni

“I would juxtapose all kinds of music — Broadway, blues, classical, rock, and I interviewed people,” Slatkin says. “I learned how to speak, and I learned not to be afraid of people. Radio did that for me.”

Private Life

Even today, though, Slatkin describes himself as “a quiet guy” when he’s away from conducting and fundraising.

He’s been down the aisle a few times. The conductor once told Britain’s The Guardian that “Music is a possessive mistress,” which could explain the failure of his three marriages, the latest of which, to soprano Linda Hohenfeld, was expected to be dissolved in November. And then there was the well-publicized reputed affair with percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the leaking of their racy e-mail exchanges — while both were married.

Slatkin says there was “no rancor” in his split from Hohenfeld. “We are very amicable and raising our son in what we feel is the best possible way,” Slatkin says. They are the parents of 14-year-old Daniel, with whom Slatkin is very close. Although his son attends boarding school outside Boston, Slatkin savors their time together. In August, they went on a two-and-a-half week tour of baseball stadiums in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

“Near the end of the trip, we were driving,” Slatkin says, “and either I said something or Daniel did, and we just started laughing uncontrollably for about five minutes. We just couldn’t stop. Just when we thought we had stopped, we’d start up again. When we did settle down, we just looked at each other, and this became a moment when it wasn’t just about father and son, it was about being friends.

“It was a defining moment for me; I hadn’t expected that. So, a few days later when I had to deposit him at boarding school, it turned out to be much more emotional than I thought. It was an important trip because it was a personal journey.”

The experience was so mutually gratifying that Slatkin says they’ll do the same thing next summer, except on the West Coast. By then, Slatkin will be comfortably ensconced in his home in metro Detroit.

“All my stuff is here; it’s already in storage,” he says. “In spring, I’ll have a physical place.” The conductor has already checked out Royal Oak and Pleasant Ridge and “found a lot of neighborhoods attractive. But I haven’t looked in the Grosse Pointes yet. I don’t want to be so far from the hall that I can’t get down here within 20 to 25 minutes.”

Wherever he decides to hang his hat, it’s clear that Detroit has already unrolled the welcome mat, just waiting for its new maestro to cross the threshold.

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