Ernest Fleischmann, Who Revitalized of LA Philharmonic, Dead at 85

Ernest Fleischmann, the jack-of-all trades at the LA Philharmonic for nearly 30 years and who brought the orchestra to its first-rate status, died on June 13 at the age of 85. The Philharmonic said the cause of death was a long illness. A visionary for the LA Philharmonic, he arrived in 1969 after spending 10 years as the director of the London Symphony Orchestra. While helming the LA Philharmonic, Fleischmann revitalized the orchestra and secured the building of a new concert hall (which opened in 2003). He spent 19 years as general manager before he rose to the position of executive vice president and managing director in 1989. He retired in 1998. Of conducting, Fleischmann said it “demands an abstinence—in every sense of the word—to equip oneself to really know the music.” He is survived by three children.