Peter Mennin

After completing his undergraduate training at Oberlin College, Peter Mennin undertook graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music. His Symphony no. 2 brought him the first Gershwin Memorial Award in 1945; Bernstein subsequently conducted the piece, and it also received Columbia University’s Bearns Prize. Mennin led the Peabody Conservatory from 1958 to 1962 and later became president of the Juilliard School. His scores adhere to conservative principles, combining romantic melodies with firm structural outlines and situating him within the American symphonic tradition.