MA Top 30 Professional: Leah Rosenthal

Artistic Director
La Jolla Music Society

Sometimes known as the “jewel” of San Diego, La Jolla has long been celebrated for its beauty and elegance. Increasingly it is a distinguished artistic center as well. Much of this is due to Leah Rosenthal, who has been associated with the La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) since 2008.

Now among the largest arts presenters on the West Coast, LJMS has grown on Rosenthal’s watch from 25 to 70 events a year and, since 2019, all of them in the $82 million Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, which the Society owns and operates.

Recipient of the Western Arts Alliance Leadership Award in 2022, Rosenthal this year created the Resident Companies @ The Conrad program, welcoming four of the city’s performing arts organizations—Art of Elan, Bach Collegium San Diego, Camarada, and Mainly Mozart—into a three-year residency. The move not only cements The Conrad’s role as a vibrant cultural and community hub but also redefines how artistic collaboration
can flourish.

“It was very interesting coming here from a big city like Chicago,” she recalls of her arrival in 2008. “Back in Chicago, if we were in the (world) series, Riccardo Muti would have a jersey on! But I’ve watched as San Diego has turned into a great arts community. You can see the change. Our residents don’t need to travel to New York or Los Angeles to hear great music.”

Organized classical music in the area dates back at least to Nikolai Sokoloff, who founded the Chamber Music Society in 1941 (and was the first music director of the Cleveland Orchestra). In 1969 it became the La Jolla Music Society and has since offered a mixture of classical, jazz, world, and contemporary music and dance. It is also well known for SummerFest, a month of 20 or more concerts—alongside open rehearsals, artist talks, and free community events that bring audiences closer to the creative process.