Leonard Weiss steps up to historic podium

Weiss becomes the first Australian to conduct a subscription concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

by Jason Blake on 2 April, 2026

Australian conductor Leonard Weiss will make history this week when he becomes the first Australian to conduct a subscription concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, appearing at Symphony Hall Boston as part of the orchestra’s main season.

Weiss will take the podium on 3 April, leading the opening movement, Vyšehrad, from Bedřich Smetana’s symphonic cycle Má vlast. The performance forms part of a shared program in which fellow emerging conductor Yiran Zhao will conduct the better-known second movement, Vltava (The Moldau).

The appearance follows Weiss’s participation in the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellowship last summer, a program closely affiliated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As part of an ongoing mentorship initiative, selected fellows are invited back to conduct the orchestra in subscription concerts.

Leonard Weiss. Photo © Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Weiss described his first rehearsal with the orchestra as “incredible”, praising the ensemble’s responsiveness and the support of its musicians. “It’s a great honour – and, given the lack of previous Australian conductors in this context, a truly unique life experience,” he said.

The engagement marks a significant milestone in Weiss’s rapidly developing international career. Currently based in Berlin, he is midway through a five-month residency at Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he is serving as a Kapellmeister on scholarship through the Opera Foundation for Young Australians. The placement follows his receipt of the foundation’s 2025 Berlin Music Opera Award.

During his Berlin tenure, Weiss has been conducting rehearsals for Handel’s Giulio Cesare in a production directed by David McVicar. He is also preparing the premiere of his own work, Endlich, scheduled to open in Berlin before transferring to the Munich Biennale in May.

Further engagements are planned with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, where Weiss will assist on recording projects with Lang Lang and conduct within the orchestra’s Mendelssohn Academy program.

First published at Limelight, April 2, 2026