Henry Lewis (musician)

Henry Jay Lewis (October 16, 1932 – January 26, 1996) was an American double-bassist and orchestral conductor whose career extended over four decades.

A child prodigy, he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 16, becoming the first African-American instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra and, later, the first African-American symphony orchestra conductor in the United States.

As musical director of the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, he supported America's cultural diplomacy initiatives in Europe after World War II.

Henry Jay Lewis was the only child of Henry J. Lewis, an automobile dealer and Mary Josephine Lewis, who was a nurse.

Originally from Los Angeles, his musical education started early in life at the age of five.

It included studies on the piano and subsequently the clarinet as well as various string instruments.

His mother immediately recognized her son's natural musical gifts and encouraged him to perform with amateur orchestras while attending both parochial and public school.

His father, however, was less enthusiastic, since professional opportunities did not exist for African-Americans in the field of classical music at that time.

Undaunted, Lewis persevered and in Junior High School he undertook studies in both voice and the double bass, reasoning that his professional endeavors might be improved since double-bass players were rare.

His virtuoso talents on the instrument earned him a scholarship, and Lewis subsequently attended the University of Southern California.

In 1948, at the age of 16, Lewis was invited to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Alfred Wallenstein, becoming the first African-American instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra.

After six years performing as a double-bassist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lewis was abruptly drafted into the United States Army in 1954.

In addition to continuing his performances on the double-bass, Lewis also conducted the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart, Germany and the Netherlands while serving in the United States Armed Forces (1955–1956).

Under his musical direction, the orchestra concertized throughout Europe in support of America's cultural diplomacy initiatives during the post World War II era.

His commanding officer noted that his imagination, artistic talent and devotion to his responsibilities as a conductor played an important role in enhancing European-American relations.

In 1957, Lewis completed his service in the United States Army and returned home to Los Angeles.

As early as 1959, Lewis founded and directed the String Society of Los Angeles, an ensemble which specialized in the performance of chamber music.

The ensemble collaborated frequently with teenage soloists from local schools in order to create opportunities for such young musicians.

Appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra were frequent during this period in the 1960s.

In 1961, Lewis gained national recognition when he was appointed assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, a post he held from 1961 to 1965.

In the process, he became the first African-American conductor to lead a major orchestra on a regular season concert.

His appearance as a substitute for the ailing Igor Markevitch in 1961 featured arias by Giuseppe Verdi as sung by his wife Marilyn Horne.

The music critic Albert Golberg of the Los Angeles Times observed that Lewis exhibited a conductor's natural flair for command during the performance.

In addition, Lewis' program was applauded for its musicality.

In 1963 and 1964 he traveled with his orchestra in Western Europe and Yugoslavia under the auspices of the United States' Department of State's Cultural Presentations Program, as one of a select group of ensembles which represented American culture abroad as "cultural ambassadors".

Lewis was also appointed as a member of the California Arts Commission in 1964.

Even during these early years in his career, Lewis' musical interests clearly extended beyond the traditional symphonic repertoire.

After his successful tenure at the Los Angeles Philharmonic was completed in 1965, Lewis acquired an international reputation as a talented young symphonic conductor.

This enabled him to accept guest appearances with leading orchestral ensembles both in the United States as well as abroad.

In 1968 he was invited to conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

In 1968 Lewis became the conductor and musical director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in Newark, and continued as musical director from 1968 until 1976.

During this time, he transformed the group from a small community ensemble of largely part-time instrumentalists into a nationally recognized orchestra.

Lewis vastly increased the orchestra's performance schedule from 22 concerts per year to 100 concerts per season and recruited several first tier soloists such as: Itzhak Perlman and Misha Dichter.

Appearances by the orchestra at premier concert venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center soon followed.

As the first African-American to lead a major symphony orchestra, Lewis also demonstrated a devotion to presenting music to the entire community by increasing the orchestra's outreach into New Jersey's ghettos and working class neighborhoods, where performances of classical music were virtually unknown.

Always eager to share his artistic expertise, in 1969 he also served as a founding member of the nonprofit Black Academy of Arts and Letters which endeavored to promote and cultivate excellence in the African American performing arts.

In addition, he was the founding conductor of the Young Musicians Foundation Training Orchestra.

Under his direction, this nonprofit ensemble provided both scholarships and performance opportunities to aspiring young artists.

After leading the orchestra for seven seasons, Lewis passed his baton to the composer and conductor Elmer Bernstein.

During this period, he also demonstrated his interest in the vast operatic repertoire by serving as music director of the Los Angeles Opera.