The Mentor Hall of Fame

CLASSICAL AND BROADWAY MUSICIANS, PERFORMERS, COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, BALLET AND MODERN DANCERS

Virtually anyone can benefit from having a mentor. And most well-known, accomplished and successful artists can identify people in their lives who acted as mentors.

The following list of mentor pairs was compiled by Rey Carr from a variety of sources including autobiographies, biographies, newspaper articles, personal interviews, and diligent historical research.

If you know of mentor pairs that ought to be added, we have provided an opportunity for you to submit the names and details: Add a Mentor Pair.

CLASSICAL AND BROADWAY MUSICIANS, PERFORMERS, COMPOSERS, CONDUCTORS, BALLET AND MODERN DANCERS

Swedish tenor and singing teacher Carl Martin Oehman (1887-1967) was a mentor to renowned and Grammy Award winner Swedish tenor Jussi Björling (1911-1960).
At one time Austrian conductor Herbert Von Karajan (1908-1999) was a mentor to Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda (1925-2017), but Gedda "eventually decided never to work with his mentor again. What I learned from him was musical flow and style, but he was cold, impersonal, power hungry and unpleasant. He was extraordinarily egocentric. He always saw himself as the great star, beside whom there were no others. Karajan never saw the singers as living individuals but only as cogs in the machinery of his own music-making. He never passed an opportunity to humiliate a singer or a member of the orchestra."
French composer and teacher Nadia Boulanger 1887-1979 was a mentor to Polish-born composer, conductor of the Minnesota Symphony for 50 years, and award-winner Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (1923-2017).
Canadian politician and art patron Jean-Pierre Goyer (1932-2011) is a mentor to Yannick Nézet-Séquin, conductor of Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain.
Italian conductor and musicologist Alberto Zedda (1928-2017) was described as a mentor for many singers.
New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is a mentor to Russian soprano opera singer Julia Lezhneva.
Spanish operatic soprano Montserrat Caballe is a mentor to Spanish tenor and Grammy Award winner Jose Carreras, one of "The Three Tenors".
Canadian tenor Jon Vickers (1926-2015) was known as one of greatest opera tenors of all time. Mr. Vickers died after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer's disease. He leaves 11 grandchildren and a score of singers he mentored during his career where he took on the most demanding roles in opera: Tristan, Siegmund, Parsifal, Otello, Aeneas, Peter Grimes and others. He joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1960, where he sang in German, French and Italian for more than 25 years. Reviewers described his voice as "towering," "achingly beautiful," "tireless," and "of clarion power." Mr. Vickers was known as a very private man with exceptionally strong convictions. He refused to play certain operatic characters on moral grounds. This did not deter others from seeking him out as a mentor and study his ability to merge character and singer. One of those he mentored said, upon being notified Mr. Vickers had died, "One of the great breaths has been stilled. His wind echoes in the caves of my memory. He was loved as the spirit in the wind, crisp and sharp like a desert night wind, fulsome and fecund like a zephyr off the waves. I shall hear every note and every silence until I die. I studied his recording of Otello for months before directing Otello for the National Opera Company of Mexico (INBA). Even thus and ever so was he my mentor. He will remain with so many of us."
Canadian soparano Clarice Carson (1929-2015) was raised in Montreal with the name Clarice Katz. She adopted the more mellifluous stage name of Clarice Carson and sang in 63 performances with the Metropolitan Opera in New York during the 1960s and 70s. Her parents, Polish émigrés who worked in the garment industry, wanted her to become a bookkeeper, but Clarice was determined to become a singer and sought out a mentor, Pauline Donalda (1882-1970), a professional vocal coach and former Canadian operatic soprano in Montreal. Clarice became Ms. Donalda's most famous protege. Opera reviewers described her acting talent as exceptional with the ability to be flashy, funny, wounded, outraged, frightened and desperate; and her voice as large, lush, expressive, and moving. Her talent earned her an international reputation and she sang with Placido Domingo, Jon Vickers, and Luciano Pavarotti, among others. When she retired in 1986 after 27 years of performing, she served as a board member of the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists where, according to Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper, she mentored many young singers. Her sense of humour, fashion sense, intelligence, and willingness to share anecdotes made her a role model for those she mentored, as well as much beloved by her family and friends.
American musician and conductor John Crosby (1926-2002), the creator of the Santa Fe Opera and former president of the Manhattan School of Music, is a mentor to English-born Richard Gaddes, opera company administrator
Canadian theatre and performing arts publicist Mary Joliffe (1923-2014) was a mentor to Canadian impresario John Uren (1935-2017).
Broadway orchestrator, composer and arranger Russell Bennett (1894-1981) was a mentor to Flint, Michigan-born award-winning Broadway orchestrator William Brohn (1933-2017).
Internationally-acclaimed American operatic soprano Barbara Smith Conrad (1940-2017). Although Texas-born, the Texas legislature in 1957 forced her removal from the cast of a student opera at The University of Texas because of her race. Two things happened as a result: (1) she became an early pioneer and advocate to create a more diverse and open university community; and (2) Harry Belafonte offered to underwrite her studies at any institution she wished to attend.
American award-winning opera soprano Leontyne Price is a mentor to American opera soprano Renée Fleming.
Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) was a mentor to ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950).
Ballerina and symbol of French culture Yvette Chauviré (1917-2016) was mentored by choreographer, dancer and director, Serge Lifar (1905-1986).
American composer Stephen Schwartz is a mentor to musical theatre composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Canadian baritone Bernard Turgeon (1931-2016) is a mentor to Canadian soprano and member of the Hall of Fame Chantal Lambert and many other singers. In describing the transformative power of her mentor Ms. Lambert said, "He would challenge the singers to bring out what was special inside themselves that no one else could give. It had immediate results. The singers were suddenly freer and blossomed in front of your eyes, just by the warmth he was transmitting."
Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Steven Stucky (1949-2016) is a mentor to classical composer Eric Nathan.
American classical composer Wesley La Violette (1894-1978) was a mentor to clarinet player and trio leader Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008) who was a mentor to jazz drummer Randy Kaye and jazz clarinetist Harry Skoler.
Classical pianist and composer Seymour Bernstein is a mentor to actor Ethan Hawke.
American conductor, Marin Alsop, founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship in 2002 to mentor young women at the start of their conducting careers.
Russian-born, American violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), considered the greatest violinist of all-time, is a mentor to violinist and Canadian cosmetic surgeon Mark Lupin and Indonesian-born author, violinist, and pianist Ayke Agus.
Canadian organist Léo Le Sieur (1897-1983) was a mentor to Lucille Dumont (1919-2016), the grande dame of chanson.
Finish composer, conductor, and teacher Jorma Panula is a mentor to Finish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Choreographer Kazuko Hirabayashi (1933-2016) was a mentor to many dancers and choreographers, and helped them find their own way. "I would not be where I am today without Kazuko," said Terese Capucilli, one of the most acclaimed dancers in Martha Graham's company.
Robert Baustian (1922-2016, Bio), long-time conductor of the Santa Fe Opera, was a mentor to many.
Acting coach Dee Cannon is a mentor to Broadway star, Cynthia Enrivo.
Conductor Riccardo Mutti is a mentor to opera's great new start Matthew Aucoin.
Franz Wüllner (1832-1902), German composer and condutor was a mentor to German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949).
Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) was a mentor to Royal Ballet principal dancer Bryony Brind (1960-2015).
Broadway actress Alexandra Silber is one of many who consider lyricist Sheldon Harnick a mentor.
American composer Lou Harrison (1917-2003) is a mentor to Pulitzer Prize composer John Luther Adams.
Mozart interpretor and Vienna-born conductor George Cleve (1936-2015) called French-American conductor Pierre Monteux (1875-1964) his mentor.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a mentor to composer Maximilian Steinberg (1883-1946).
Dancer Mary De Haven Hinkson (1925-2014) was mentored by Margaret H'Doubler (1889-1982, Bio), pioneering dance educator at the University of Wisconsin.
Tap dancer Bunny Briggs (1922-2014) is a mentor to dance Savion Glover.
Magdalena Popa, former ballet mistress and artistic coach with Canada's National Ballet, is a mentor to ballet dancer Aleksandar Antonijevic.
Mary Anthony (1916-2014), dancer & choreographer, mentored many and was mentored by Hanya Holm (1893-1992) and Martha Graham (who was also a mentor to Agnes de Mille).
Jack Cole, choreographer and teacher (1911-1974, Bio), was a mentor to Matt Mattox (1922-2013, Bio).
Ballet teacher Richard Thomas (1926-2013) is a mentor to choreographer Eliot Feld & choreographer director Daniel Levans.
Dance pioneer Talley Beatty was a mentor to jazz dance teacher Fred Benjamin (1944-2013).
Christine Walevska (cellist), David Soyer, Vladimir Panteleyev, and Oleg Kogan mentors to Leat Sabbah (cellist)
Gérard Mortier, Paris Director, is a mentor to Canadian Opera Co. Director, Alexander Neef
Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951), Austrian composer and painter, was a mentor to Anton Webern (1883-1945), Austrian composer, conductor, and master of the 12-tone technique.
Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) was a mentor to Italian conductor Claudio Abbado (1934-2014) who is a mentor to conductors Daniel Harding and Gustavo Dudamel, among many others
Hungarian Laszlo Marton is a mentor to Soulpepper director Albert Schultz.
Russian pianist and composer Leonid Nikolayev (1878-1942) was a mentor to Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor, is a mentor to maestro Yannick NŽzet-SŽguin (Bio).
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel calls $50,000 Glenn Gould Prize winner Jose Antonio Abreu his mentor.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925-2012, Biography) is a mentor to Christian Gerhaher, German baritone.
Lorin Maazel (Philharmonia orchestra conductor, bio) mentor to Ms. Xian Zhang (conductor, bio)
Charles Ives (1874-1954), American modernist composer, mentor to Elliott Carter (1909-2102), Pulitzer Prize winning composer
Isaac Stern mentor to Pinchas Zukerman (Israeli violinist and conductor), Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, Shlomo Mintz, Sergui Luca and Yo-Yo Ma
Dorothy DeLay (violin teacher) mentor to Itzhak Perlman, Sarah Chang and Midori
Hungarian violinist, conductor and composer Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) was a mentor to Polish-American classical pianist Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982).
Ingolf Dahl (conductor) mentor to Michael Tilson Thomas (pianist and conductor)
Boris Brott (Canadian conductor) mentored by Igor Markevitch (musical director Montreal Symphony Orchestra)
Joseph Papp (producer) mentor to Elizabeth Swados (composer Bio)
June Levant (wife of Oscar Levant) mentor to Michael Feinstein (pianist and singer)
Hans Swarowsky mentor to Claudio Abbado (permanent conductor, Milan Opera House)
James Levine (artistic director, Metropolitan Opera) mentor to Kathleen Battle
Grace Moore (American soprano) mentor to Dorothy Kirsten (American opera singer)
Diana Soviero (soprano and teacher) is a mentor to opera sopranoChristine Goerke
Hao Jiang Tian (Bio), basso cantantes of the Metropolitan Opera is a mentor to soprano Guanqun Yu
Jessye Norman (American opera soprano) mentor to Susan Platts (Canadian opera soprano)
Vera Rosza mentor to Nancy Argenta (Canadian soprano)
Marian Anderson (opera singer) mentor to James DePriest (conductor)
Alexander Schneider (violinist) mentor to Pamela Frank (violinist)
Katharine Susannah Prichard (Australian writer) mentor to David Helfgott (Australian pianist)
Jennie Tourel (mezzo-soprano) mentor to Barbara Hendricks (operatic soprano)
Tulio Serafin (Italian conductor) mentor to Maria Callas (American operatic soprano)
Konstantin Iliev mentor to Vassil Kazandjiev (classical composer and performer)
César Franck (composer and organist) mentor to Louis Vierne (organist)
John Cage (composer) mentor to Morton Feldman (composer) and musician/wizard Nam June Paik (1932-2006)
Serge Koussevitzky (conductor/bassist) and Aaron Copeland (composer Bio) mentors to Leonard Bernstein (conductor, New York Philharmonic)
Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan mentors to Seiji Ozawa (music director, Boston Symphony)
Hideo Saito and Herbert von Karajan mentors to Seiji Ozawa
Leonard Bernstein mentor to Marin Alsop (conductor), Maurice Peress (conductor at Queens College in New York), and Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor of SF Symphony)
Aaron Copeland (1900-1990) (composer) mentor to Benjamin Britten (composer Bio) and Paul Bowles (writer)
George Szell (conductor Bio) mentor to Matthias Bamert (conductor Bio)
Frank Bridge (English composer) was a mentor to Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Pierre Luboschutz (concert pianist and uncle) mentor to Boris Goldovsky (conductor, pianist, lecturer, opera impresario)
Carol Bergonzi (tenor) mentor to Salvatore Licitra (Italian tenor)
Giulio Ricordi mentor to Giacomo Puccini (Italian composer)
Nicolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov mentor to Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) mentor to Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) and Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (1856-1915)
Sergey Rachmaninoff and Heinrich Neuhaus (Russian pianist) mentors to Yevgeny Svetlanov (conductor, USSR State Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestra)
Franz Liszt (composer) mentor to Paul Felix Weingartner (Austrian conductor)
Johann Christian Bach mentor to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Christian Gottlob Neefe (Bio) mentor to Ludwig van Beethoven (Bio)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) mentor to Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869) wrote a note to Johann Strauss (1825-1899) after hearing Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz. The note said: "Unfortunately, not by H. Berlioz."
Alexander Ritter mentor to Richard Strauss
Bela Bartok mentor to Madame Alice Carrand
Madame Alice Carrand mentor to David Hielfgott
Robert Schumann mentor to Johannes Brahms
Sergey Prokofiev mentored by his mother
Oscar Hammerstein II mentor to Stephen Sondheim
Harold Arlen (composer) mentor to Peter Matz (Emmy-award winning composer, musical director)
Cole Porter mentor to Leslie Hutchinson
Stephen Sondheim mentor to Jonathan Larson (creator of Rent)
Celia Franca (dance coach) and Rudolf Nureyev mentors to Karen Kain (National Ballet of Canada)
Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972), Russian dancer and choreographer, was a mentor to Frederick Ashton (1904-1988), dancer and founder choreographer of the Royal Ballet
Benjamin Harkaryn (artistic director, Royal Winnipeg Ballet) mentor to Rachel Browne (dancer, choreographer)
Peter Bonham (choreographer, Le Groupe de la Place Royale, Canada) mentor to Serge Bennathan (artistic director, Dancemakers, Toronto, Canada)
Rudolf Nureyev mentor to Karen Kain - Details and photos (Requires membership in the Peer Resources Network)
Carolyn Adams, dancer and dance teacher, is a mentor to Robert Battle, head of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Jose Limon (dancer, choreographer) mentor to David Earle (dancer, choreographer)
George Ballanchine mentor to John Taras (dancer, choreographer, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and ballet master)
Veronica Tennant (ballet dancer) is a mentor to Crystal Pite thru Canada's Governor General's 2008Performing Arts Mentoring Program
Evelyn Hart (ballet) is a mentor to Heather Ogden thru Canada's Governor General's 2011Performing Arts Mentoring Program
Maina Gielgud (National Ballet artistic director) mentor to Geon van der Wyst (principal dancer, National Ballet of Canada)
Bob Fosse (Broadway choreographer) mentor to Gwen Verdon (exceptional dancer and actress)
Ali Akbar Khan mentor to Chitresh Das (classical Indian dance teacher)
Gwen Verdon mentor to Shirley MacLaine
Jimmy Slyde (dancer) mentor to Roxane Butterfly and Max Pollak (dancers)
Mrs. Patrick Campbell (actress) mentor to Isadora Duncan (Bio)
James Kudelka (National Ballet of Canada) mentor to Matjash Mrozewski (dancer, National Ballet)
George Balanchine (founder of New York City Ballet) mentor to Peter Martins (New York City Ballet master), and ballerinas Maria Tallchief, Suzanne Farrell, and Melissa Hayden
Dancer Twyla Tharp is a mentor to ballerina Kaitlyn Gilliland.
Linda Stearns (late artistic director Les Grands Ballet Canadiens) mentor to Margie Gillis (dancer and choreographer)
Rudolf Nureyev mentor to Linda Maybarduk (former dancer, National Ballet of Canada)
Sergey Diaghilev (Russian ballet producer) mentor to Léonide Massine (Russian-American dancer and choregrapher)
Martha Graham (American dancer and choreographer) mentor to Agnes de Mille
Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) (dancer and choreographer Bio) mentor to José Limón (Mexican-American dance and choreographer) and Pauline Koner (principal dancer and choreographer)
Kenny Ortega (choreographer) mentor to Cynthia Rhodes (dancer)
Ben Stevenson (artistic director, Houston Ballet) mentor to Carlos Acosta (dancer)
Gower Champion (Broadway choreographer) mentor to Randy Skinner (Broadway choreographer)
Ruth St. Denis (dance innovator) mentor to Doris Humphrey (pioneer in modern dance)
David Belasco (American theatrical producer and playwright) mentor to Jan Cowl (American actress and playwright)
Arthur Beckhard (producer) mentor to David Merrick (producer)
Hal Prince (Broadway producer and director) mentor to Ruth Mitchell (Tony Award winning producer)
Peter Palitzsch (theater director) mentored by Bertold Brecht
Tallulah Bankhead (film and stage actress) mentor to Eugenia Rawls (theatre actress)
Dai Vernon (Canadian magician, Bio) mentor to Doug Henning (Canadian magician, Bio) and Michael Ammar (magician, Bio)
British singing teacher Mollie Petrie (1921-2016) was a mentor to English soprano Susan Chilcott (1963-2003).
American soprano, teacher and university dean Phyllis Curtin (1921-2016) was a mentor to American countertenor, Bejun Mehta. and many participants at Tanglewood.
Opera producer and conductor Boris Goldovsky (1908-2001) was a mentor to American classical soprano Phyllis Curtin (1921-2016), American operatic baritone Sherrill Milnes, and American opera condutor, stage director and impressario Sarah Caldwell (1924-2006).
Russian-born conductor Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951) was a mentor to American orchestra conductor Izler Solomon (1910-1987).
Spanish pianist Ricardo Vi–es (1875-1943) was a mentor to French composer Francis Poulenc (1899-1963).
French ballerina Violette Verdy (1933-2016) was a mentor to many dancers including Soviet-born Russian American ballerina Valentina Kozlova.
American classical pianist and teacher Gary Graffman is a mentor to pianist Lang Lang.
Conductor and film composer Nino Rota (1911-1979) is a mentor to award-winning, Italian-born conductor Riccardo Muti.
French conductor Pierre Monteux (1875-1964) was a mentor to British conductor, composer and Grammy winner Sir Neville Marriner (1924-2016).
American-born Canadian Roy Mitchell (1884-1944), journalist, technician and first director of Hart House Theatre, was a mentor to British-born Canadian Elizabeth Sterlling Haynes (1897-1957), community and educational drama specialist who co-founded the Banff Centre for Continuing Education; Nova Scotia-born Canadian-American actor Rauff de R. Acklom also known as David Manners (1900-1998), who played in the original Dracula film (1931); and actress Lorna McLean (1901-1983).
Founder & conductor of NYC Ballet and the past head of the National Orchestra Association Leon Barzin (1900-1999), was a mentor to NYC Ballet conductor Hugo Fiorato (1914-2012).
Italian conductor and one of the most acclaimed musicians for the late 19th and 20th century Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was a mentor to Founder & conductor of NYC Ballet and the past head of the National Orchestra Association Leon Barzin (1900-1999).
Israeli-born musician and conductor Yariv Aloni was mentored by Hungarian-born Canadian János Sándor (1933-2010), former conductor Victoria (British Columbia) Youth Symphony Orchestra.
California-born American music director and conductor of concerts and operas around the world Kent Nagano currently (2017) the music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Canada) considers award-winning Japanese-born conductor and author Seiji Ozawa, his mentor.
French composer, writer, broadcaster, engineer and musicologist Pierre Schaeffer (1910-1995), considered "one of the most influential experimental, electroacoustic musicians whose recording and sampling techniques are used around the world, was a mentor to Paris-born French composer Pierre Henry (1927-2017), who was known to make the "everyday extraordinary" and created a style described as musique contrète, which were collages of prerecorded and manipulated sounds from electronic and acoustic sources.
Award-winning Atlanta, Georgia-born American Broadway singer/soprano, cabaret performer, author and actress, Barbara Cook (1927-2017) is a mentor to West Berlin, Germany-born American actress and singer Audra McDonald.
Award-winning Australian-born American Broadway producer Stuart Thompson (1955-2017) is a mentor to Canadian Lorne Michaels, producer of the Broadway musical Mean Girls.
Buffalo, New York-born American musical theatre composer, writer and director and author of novels and children's books Elizabeth Swados (1951-2016) was a mentor to Boston-born composer and lyricist Michael Friedman (1975-2017).
Titan of British theatre, one of the world's greatest Shakespeare directors, opera and film director Sir Peter Hall (1930-2017) was a mentor to British writer and director Thea Sharrock, who said of her mentor, "he taught me never to be afraid of not knowing the answer, to trust that the directorÕs job was to find it along the way; that the writer was always the most important person in any rehearsal room, alive or dead; that hearing the music in everything you direct is always the key; and that family was the most important thing in the whole world."; theatre director Lara Foot, who became a protege through the Rolex Mentor & Protege program; and British theatre director Stephen Unwin.
Brooklyn, New York-born American theatrical producer and director Joseph Papp (1921-1991) was a mentor to Philadelphia-born American playwright, theatre director and writer Albert Innaurato (1947-2017).
Multiple award-winning Spanish tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo is a mentor to multiple award winning Mexican operatic tenor Arturo Chacón, who made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 2004.
Pulitizer Prize winning Pennsylvania-born American playwright, theatre director, humorist, drama critic and author of several musicals, George S. Kaufman 1889-1961) was a mentor to New York City-born American playwright, theatre director and author of a number of successful Broadway plays Moss Hart (1904-1961), who said "All the mistakes I ever made in my life were when I wanted to say no and said yes."
Paris-born French/American conductor and violinist Pierre Monteux (1875-1964) is a mentor to San Francisco-born American pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher; and was a mentor to Russian art critic, ballet impresario and founder of Ballets Russes Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929); and Hungarian-French conductor Charles Bruck (1911-1995).
Hungarian-French conductor Charles Bruck (1911-1995) is a mentor to Hawaii-born American conductor Michael Jinbo.
Award-winning Russian-born composer, pianist and conductor who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a mentor to Paris-born French/American conductor and violinist Pierre Monteux (1875-1964).
India-born Youth Symphony conductor, violinist and teacher Mehli Mehta (-2002) was a mentor to generations of music students through the American Youth Symphony. One of this former students said that for his mentor "It was always the music that was the most important thing. In rehearsal with the orchestra, he would badger us, he would yell and scream; sometimes he would tell stories of things he had heard and seen in his musical youth. Always the intensity was there. And the passion."
India-born, award-winning conductor, musical director for several legendary philharmonic orchestras Zubin Mehta was the first Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts initiaitive's instrumentalist mentor in the music discipline.
New York City-born American dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille (1905-1993) was a mentor to Portsmith, Virginia-born award-winning Broadway dancer and choreographer Gemze de Lappe (1922-2017).
Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons is a mentor to Musical America's 2018 Artist of the Year Latvia-born music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons.
Dance studio owner and artistic director Angel Fraser-Logan is a mentor Miami-born dancer Jamar Roberts.
A founding member of the the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, choreographer and director of the dance program at Sarah Lawrence College, the German-born American citizen Viola Farber (1931-1998) is a mentor to award-winning New York-born dancer and choreographer Pam Tanowtiz.
Philadelphia-born American award-winning mezzo-soprano, music professor and master class teacher Susanne Mentzer is known as a mentor to many young singers. Ms. Mentzer, who crossed the stage to perform a Mozart Aria for the legendary Luciano Pavorotti, has empathy for those she mentors. She said, "You want to be especially careful that you don't break their spirits. If you're offering a similar critique to many singers, it's important to have many ways of saying things."
Opera singer James Morris, who made his stage debut in 1971 at age 23 at the Met Opera credits voice teacher Rosa Ponselle as his mentor. Mr. Morris has made more than 1000 appearances of the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
Cleveland-born American theatre artistic director and playwright who taught at several universities in Canada and at one-time helped produce performances for Toronto's biggest commercial producers, Ernest Schwarz (1934-2017) was a mentor to many associated with the growth of both alternative and commercial theatre in Toronto. One of those he mentored said that Mr. Schwarz taught him to be passionate about making theatre. One of his greatest pieces of advice to me was that 'every now and again, you just have to get hysterical.'"
Ingolf Dahl (conductor) mentor to Michael Tilson Thomas (pianist and conductor)
Los Angeles-born award-winning American conductor, composer and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony is a mentor to Beijing, China-born Chinese classical pianist Yuja Wang.
The first British-born international ballet star, choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet Alicia Markova (1910-2004) was a mentor to British-born ballerina and co-founder of The Royal Ballet Dame Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991) who was a mentor to former member of The Royal Ballet and filmmaker Darcey Bussell. Ms. Bussell said of her mentor, "Very early in my career at the Royal Ballet I arranged for Fonteyn to coach me. I assumed whe was going to drill me hard of the finer points of techinque-tips and tricks on head or hand positions. Instead, she gave me advice that stayed with me throughout my career. She impressed upoin me that my job as a ballerina was, above all, story-telling: that every step I executed shouldn't be focused on technique, but on telling the story. That's how Fonteyn made her audiences care - by drawing them into her story with every single movement."
California-born American operatic soprano, voice instructor, and artist residence Carol Nesblett (1946-2017) served as a mentor to younger vocalists and credits German soprano Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976) as her mentor. Ms. Lehmann's performances around the world of Lieder "are considered among the best ever recorded."
Yezhov (played by Zach Grenier) is a mentor to Vladimir, nicknamed "Vova" (played by Max Gordon Moore) in the theatrical play Describe the Night, written by Rajiv Joseph.
The Pirate King (played by Robert McLean) is a mentor to Freddy (played by Shawn Pfautsch) in the interactive musical play The Hypocrites: The Pirates of Penzance, directed by Sean Graney.
California-born award-winning American actress, dancer and choreographer Gwen Verdon (1925-2000) and Seattle, Washington-born award-winning American actress, dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking are mentors to Texas-born, Broadway performer Dylis Croman.
Massachusetts-born American conductor, composer, teacher, author and pianist Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), who was described as "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history," was a mentor to classical conductor Maurice Peress (1930-2017), "who conducted the premieres of important works by Mr. Bernstein and others, and helped American composer, pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington (1899-1974) orchestrate some of his signature compositions."
Former concertmaster of the Italian early music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico baroque violinist Enrico Onofri is a mentor to Tafelmusik's Italian-born violinist Elisa Citterio.
Little Rock, Arkansas-born African-American composer, the first black woman to win fame as a symphonist and who set to music poems by American poet, social activist and playwright Langston Hughes (1902-1967) and Ohio-born American poet, novelist and playwright Paul Lawrence Dunbar (1872-1906), Florence Price (1888-1953) was a mentor to Chicago-born composer, arranger, pianist, singer and musical director for several theatres in New York Margaret Bonds (1913-1972).
Award-winning Philadelphia-born American dancer, choreographer and former artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Judith Jamison is a mentor to award-winning New York-born American choreographer and dancer Ronald K. Brown.
Award-winning New York-born American choreographer and dancer Ronald K. Brown is a mentor to Arcell Cabuag.
Spanish-born former musical director of the Cincinnati Symphony and who guest conducted at opera halls and houses around the world Jesús López Cobos (1940-2018) is a mentor to Pops Orchestra conductor John Morris Russell.
Russian cellist and conductor, considered to be one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century Mstislav Rostropovich is a mentor to award-winning celllist prodigy and conductor Han-Na Chang.
Northern Ireland-born Canadian and former head of Factory Theatre and the Shaw Festival and theatre director Jackie Maxwell is eager to be a mentor and advocate for women in theatre.
French actor, director and theatre director Louis Jouvet (1887-1951) was a mentor to award-winning French dramatist Jean AnouilhF (1910-1987), who said, "To say yet, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows."
New York City-born American cellist and double bassist Buell Neidlinger (1936-2018) is a mentor to Whidbey Island pianist Sheila Weindendorf.
Italian composer and pioneer of electronic music Luciano Berio (1925-2003) is a mentor to award-winning Italy-born musician, composer, pianist Ludovico Einaudi.
Venezuelan musician, politician and economist Jose Antonio Abreu (1939-2018), who created a network of more than 1,500 orchestras and choirs for youth in Venezuela, was considered a mentor by Gustavo Dudamel, the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and a participant in Abreu's program.
Viola faculty member, founding member of the Guarneri Quartet and known as one of the great violists of the 20th century, Michael Tree (1934-2018) was a mentor to generations of Curtis violists and Orion Quartet member and former Curtis student Steven Tenenbom.
Former managing director of Orchestre Symphonique de Monréal Pierre Béigue (1910-2003) was a mentor to jazz singer and classical and opera music lover, philanthropist, Officer of the Order of Canada, arts and community supporter and a member of the Canadian Opera Hall of Fame Jacqueline "Jackie" Desmarais (1928-2018).
Chicago-born modern dance pioneer, choreographer, author, educator and activist Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) was a mentor to Texas-born dancer, choreographer and activist Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) and dozens of other dancers and choreographers. She said, "I have never been a person who wanted just to dance. I have always been interested in developing people and developing for other people, so I find that age has nothing to do with this."
United Kingdom-born Sir David Willcocks (1919-2015), Director of Music at King's College in the 1960s, choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator, is a mentor to Sir Andrew Davis, former chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony, music director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and conductor laureate of the BBC and Toronto Symponies.
Terrace, British Columbia-born Canadian choreographer and dancer Crystal Pite is a mentor to award-winning Puerto Rico-born American dancer and choreographer Bryan Arias.
> Detroit-born Canadian actress Martha Henry is a mentor to Stratford company actor E.B. Smith.
New York-born American classical conductor Tito Munoz considers New York City-born Aspen Festival music director, violinist and American conductor David Zinman, his mentor.
Saint Petersburg-born Soviet and Russian conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky (1903-1988) was a mentor to Moscow-born Soviet and Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1931-2018).
American tap dancer, actor and choreographerSavion Glover and American actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer Gregory Hines (1946-2003) are mentors to Edmonton, Alberta-born Canadian-American international dance performer, choreographer, educator and speaker Andrew Nemr. Mr. Nemr says that his connection with Mr. Glover helped him find his own voice and that his connection with Mr. Hines was less about dancing and more about life.
New York City-born American opera and theatre director Francesca Zambello is a mentor to opera soprano Leah Crocetto, who said of her mentor, "Francesca Zambello has been an incredible mentor to me and has given me many opportunities to bring portray these heroines. The biggest difficulty I find in bringing these ladies to life is wrapping my head around the stories and giving them relevance. This is where Francesca comes in and beautifully breathes life into archaic stories."
Music professor Patricia Norwood (1946-2008) is a mentor to musical director, composer and conductor David Kidwell. Mr Kidwell recalled a particular incident that exemplified the effect of Dr. Norwood's mentorhip on his work: "Dr. Norwood invited me to do a week-long composer residency at Mary Washington College, which included an informal talk, and question and answer session for music majors about making a living as a musician. By providing me with the opportunity to give practical advice and guidance to a new generation of music students, I felt that the mentoring had come full circle."
Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer Robert Helpmann (1909-1986) was a mentor to Award-winning British musical choreographer who worked closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and former ballerina Gillian Lynne (1926-2018).
Award-winning New York City-born American playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner is a mentor to Connecticut-born award-winning American actress, singer and Broadway performer Anika Noni Rose.
American opera singer, Broadway actress, speech writer for two U.S. presidents, pioneer of the self-help movement, and author of Speech Can Change Your Life, Dorothy Sarnoff (1914-2008) is a mentor to speech and etiquette authority Wilma Cruz Tapalla; and coach, author, motivational speaker, and executive Gail Blanke, who said that her mentor taught her a mantra that she has used throughout her life. The mantra? "I'm glad I'm here." Ms. Sarnoff said: "Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening."
Polish operatic tenor, conductor and musician Piotr Beczala said of his mentor, "I remember from my own past, you know, when I met Bosnia-born Croatian-Austrian operatic soprano Sena Jurinac (1921-2011), a major singer from the past, and she helped me a lot in making the right choices. It is not just to show to the young people how to sing from the technical standpoint; that's one thing, but I think it is also part of the mentor's work to show the way, to help with the choice of repertory. But if I can at least teach them that it is a process, it is already a good thing if they can understand this."
Italian conductor Riccardo Muti studied composition with Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic Nino Rota (1911-1979), whom he considers his mentor.
Quebec dramaturg Maureen Labonté is a mentor to Canadian actor, translator, librettist, and writer Leanna Brodie.
Glasgow-born British conductor and composer Oliver Knussen (1952-2018), known as "Olly," was one of the most influential conductors of his time and was known as a generous mentor and "irreplaceable to his fellow composers such as, Mark-Anthony Turnage; Julian Anderson; and Ryan Wigglesworth, who constantly sought and relied on his advice and encouragement."
British composer, pianist and conductor Benjamin Britten (1913-1976); and American composer, teacher, and former Berkshire Music Center director Gunther Schuller (1925-2015) were mentors to British conductor Oliver Knussen (1952-2018).
Buffalo, New York-born American composer and pianist Nils Vigeland is a mentor to American-Chinese pianist Jenny Q Chai.
Milan-born Italian composer Nino Rota (1911-1979), who composed the music for Fellini and Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) is a mentor to Naples-born Italian conductor Riccardo Muti.
Greek conductor, pianist and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) was a mentor to Massachusetts-born American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990).
Massachusetts-born American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is a mentor to Dutch conductor and violinist Jaap van Zweden.
Liverpool-born conductor of classical music Sir Simon Rattle; Dutch violinist and conductor Jaap van Zweden; Manhattan-born American conductor and violinist Alan Gilbert; and Genoa-born Italian conductor Fabio Luisi are mentors to violinist and award-winning conductor Karina Canellakis.
Schenectady, New York born co-founder of IMG Artists and who raised millions for AIDS groups Charles Hamlen (1943-2018) is a mentor to music business executive Kathryn Enticott.
Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) was a mentor to ballerina Bryony Brind (1960-2015). She said of her mentor,"Originally I was terrified of him, but he became a mentor supporter and friend."
German-born composer and mother of eight children Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896) was mentored by her father, a German voice teacher, Friedrich Wieck (1785-1873). Her husband composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was a mentor to composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) who had a love affair with Clara. Robert became so distraught that he jumped into the Rhine River in an attempt to kill himself only to be rescued and die in a mental hospital two years later.
American-born violinist and conductor, considered the greater violinist of the 20th century Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) was a mentor to American conductor and composer David Itkin.
Spanish-born classical pianist, conductor, harpsichordist, and actor José Iturbi (1895-1980) was a mentor to opera singer Evelyn Cipollina (1916-1990), the mother of Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipolinna (1943-1989).
Ontario-born Canadian former ballet dancer and the artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada Karen Kain is a mentor to Toronto-born Canadian dancer and choreographer Robert Binet through the Governor General's Peforming Arts Mentorship Program.
Award-winning Quebec-born French-Canadian bass opera singer, teacher, and Companion of the Order of Canada Joseph Rouleau is a mentor to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario-born opera tenor Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure through the Governor General's Peforming Arts Mentorship Program.
Award-winning American-born Canadian playwright who came to Canada to avoid the draft and became an Officer of the Order of Canada John Murrell is a mentor to award-winning Canadian playwright and actress Anita Majumdar through the Governor General's Peforming Arts Mentorship Program.
Canadian songcarrier Maggie Paul is a mentor to classically trained pianist and tenor Jeremy Dutcher.
Manhattan-born principal dancer and the first African-American dancer to perform with a major ballet company, who endured endless discrimination and threats when touring the southern USA with her ballet company Raven Wilkinson (1935-2018) is a mentor to Kansas City, Missouri-born Misty Copeland, who became the first African-American ballerina to be named a principal dancer to the American Ballet Theater in New York City.
Montreal, Quebec-born Canadian-American Grammy award-winning and Tony award-winning musician and composer, best known as the composer of the revolutionary musical Hair and member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Galt MacDermot (1928-2018) "was seen as a mentor to those in the local arts community"..."and a passionate spiritual mentor."
Soviet classical violinist and violist David Oistrakh (1908-1974) was a mentor to Russian-born American award-winning violinist and professor of violin at Mannes School of Music in New York City Nina Beilina (1937-2018). Ms. Beilina strived to not become a "clone" of her mentor so that her lessons with him did not become a way to learn how to play like Maestro Oistrakh and instead became a training session on how to play the violin.
Classical American composer and pianist Alan Louis Smith is a mentor to American opera singer, mezzo-soprano and recitalist Stephanie Blythe who has been a mentor to the Pepperdine University residency program and the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar. Ms. Blythe says "That is the thing that we all have to learn as performers and as human beings. We have to learn our methodology for ourselves. That's what time and experience and mentoring will do for you. I've had a lot of really terrific mentors. This is not something I've come up with all on my own."
Finnish conductor, clarinetist and composer Osmo Vänskä is a mentor to organist Greg Zelek and dozens of emerging composers while he was conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.
Italian composer, teacher and violinist Franco Donatoni (1927-2000); and Polish composer and orchestral conductor Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) are mentors to Finnish orchestral conductor and composer and the newest conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Esa-Pekka Salonen who will also be a mentor to a group of Salonen Fellows in the Neigaunee Conducting Program, a partnership with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
Russian conductor and opera company director Valery Gergiev is a mentor to Russian international superstar soprano Anna Netrebko.
Siminovitch Prize winner, Quebec-born Canadian theatre designer and artistic director Stéphanie Jasmin was awarded $100,000 prize, the richest in Canadian theatre and a quarter of the prize is earmarked for her to pass along to a protege. Ms. Jasmin selected costume-designer Max-Otto Fauteux.
Mississauga-born Canadian-American award-winning classical violinist Leila Josefowicz calls English violinist and conductor Sir Neville Marriner (1924-2016); Bolivia-born violinist and conductor Jaime Laredo; British composer and conductor Oliver Knussen (1952-2018); and violin teacher Robert Lipsett, her mentors. Ms. Josefowicz, when asked if her mentor, Mr. Lipsett, would accompany her on a trip to perform, she said, "Definitely. Without him there, I wouldn't play my best. He tells me to relax and enjoy myself, to take everything as it comes while I'm performing." Mr. Lipsett recalls, "I want her to express her own ideas about the music, and when they are on the right path, we try to incorporate them into her performance. We discussed the Lalo after she played it in Monterey, and I asked her for some interpretive ideas in the slow section. She demonstrated the way she wanted to play it, and we decided to do it that way, which really excited her." "Yes, I get to do it my way!" she replied.
Amesterdam-born Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink; and Italian conductor and music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan Claudio Abbado (1933-2014) are both mentors to Spanish conductor and music director Gustavo Gimeno, currently the maestro of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Founder and General Director of Michigan Opera Theatre, composer David DiChiera (1935-2018) is a mentor to award-winning American composer and pianist Ivan Moshcuk and many members of the Michigan Opera Theatre Studio, which he created to identify, train and mentor up-and-coming opera singers.
Artistic director of Dutch National Ballet and ballet master Karel Shook (1920-1985) was a mentor to the first African American principal dancer to star in a major ballet company, multiple award-winner and Harlem, New York-born Arthur Mitchell (1934-2018).
American developer of choreograhic theater Enrique Pardo is a mentor to American theatre peformer and director Deborah Balardini, who said of her mentor, "hetaught me how to find my own voice and to help others do so as well."
Dutch composer Louis Andriessen is considered a mentor to many resolutionary young composers, both in the Netherlands and abroad, including Liverpool-born radical British classical composer Steve Martland (1959-2013).
Austrian classical pianist Helmut Deutsch is a mentor to German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann.
American-born violinist and conductor, considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) is a mentor to award-winning violinist, speaker, and advocate for artistic voices on social issues Vijay Gupta; David Itkin; and British-Irish classical violinist Daniel Hope.
Armenian-American concert piansit Sergei Babayan is a mentor to award-winning Russian pianist and composer Daniil Trifonov.
American Pulitzer Prize composer Julia Wolfe is a mentor to American composer Missy Mazzoli. Ms. Mazzoli co-founded the Luna Composition Lab, a mentoring program for young female composers. She attributes her development as a composer from working with other female composers: "I felt like I was able to see a possiblity for my future through them. And it made me feel the importance of have a mentor who looks like you."
Artistic director of the Mexico City Philharmonic Jorge Mester is a mentor to Mexico City-born violinist and director of Mexico's Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico with degrees in electrical engineering and business Carlos Miguel Prieto.
West Virginia-born American, known as one of the foremost dancers of his generation, dance teacher and innovative choreographer Lawrence Rhodes (1939-2019) is a mentor to many choreographers, including Ohad Naharin, whom Mr. Rhodes met while teaching at the Julliiard School.
Grammy and Pulitizer Prize winning composer and Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota Dominick Argento (1927-2019) was described as "a teacher, mentor, supportive friend of many and a major force in the lives of thousands of students and performers during his nine decades."
Dutch pianist Reinbert de Leeuw is a mentor to award-winning Nova Scotia-born Canadian soprano and conductor and Member of the Order of Canada Barbara Hannigan, the founder of Equilibrium, a mentoring initiative for young musicians who have finished their training and are embarking on their professional career.
Award-winning Seattle-born (and went to high school in San Francisco) television, screen, Broadway star, and icon of American theatre,known for her Hello, Dolly!" role Carol Channing (1921-2018) is a mentor Broadway actress and singer Andrea McArdle.
Netherlands-born early-music specialist and master harpsochordist Gustav Leonhardt (1928-2012) is a mentor to conductor, harpsichordist and choir master Richard Egarr.
Camrose, Alberta-born Canadian opera soprano and teacher Selena James (1922-2019) is a mentor to Victoria, BC-born Canadian opera tenor and former rock and roll singer Richard Margison; opera tenor Benjamin Butterfield; opera singer Ken Lavigne; and opera soprano Eve-Lyn de la Haye. "Her legacy absolutely will continue on as we keep mentoring the next generation and giving back everything she instilled in us," said Mr.Margison. "She didn't just nurture the voice, she nurtured the person," said Ms. de la Haye."
Augusta, Georgia-born voice teacher at the Juilliard School of Music William Toole (1926-2018); American conductor Craig Smith; and American soprano Phyllis Curtin were mentors to New York City-born singer, Chair of Juilliard's voice faculty, former faculty member of McGill University in Montreal and teacher at the Tanglewood Music Center Sanford Sylvan (1953-2019) who was a mentor to many students who often noted that he not only nurtured their voice development but also their personhood.
Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) is a mentor to violin prodigy Anne-Sophie Mutter, who said "He knew just how far he could push a young musician...He would always push you to the edge of what you could comprehend at that very moment; what you were physically able to bring to the performance."
Indiana-born choral conductor, one of the architects of the Spoleto Festival USA, leader of the Westminster Choir for more than 30 years and university music educator Joseph Flummerfelt (1937-2019) is a mentor to choir conductor Rob Taylor. Mr. Taylor recalled his mentor: "(He) was deeply spiritual in an ecumenical sort of way. It was the talks we had on politics, philosophy and spirituality that I will treasure most. Ever curious, I remember him seeing me reading Thich Nhat Han's book Living Buddha Living Christ one summer and the next time we talked he too had read it, and a conversation began. I loved those talks. He urged all around him to 'go deep.' We all did, and his influence took us to deeper, better places."
Australian violinist, violist, conductor, music director and founder of the Queensland Youth Orchestra John Curro (1932-2019) was a mentor to "hundreds - possibly - thousands of Australians." The Brisbane Times said "There are thousands of students who have been fortunate enough to learn, develop their musical skills and model themselves on John as mentor to them in their youth."
Voice teacher Rosa Harris Sanders was a mentor to multiple award winning international opera star and Augusta, Georgai-born American opera soprano and specialist in Wagnerian repertoire Jessye Norman (1945-2019) is a mentor to President of the Friends of Jessye Norman School of the Arts Lula Williams; and Canadian mezzo soprano Susan Platts.
Aaron Copland () was a mentor to American composer, educator and GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize winner Christopher Rouse (1949-2019) who was described as a mentor to many by The Juliard School of Music, and was considered a mentor by conductor and music director of the Baltimore Symphony Marion Alsop; Canadian composer Tom MacCammon; American composer Aaron Jay Kernis; and award-winning American composer, percussionist and conductor Robert Paterson.
Conductor Sir John Pritchard is a mentor to conductor and music director Sir Andrew Davis.
American opera company general director Anthony Freud is a mentor to internationally recognized conductor Enrique Mazzola.
Award-winning American opera singer and recitalist Jessye Norman (1945-2019) was known as a devoted mentor of young artists and emerging talent.
Canadian arts impresario who fostered the careers of many artists and was the former managing director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as well as a Member of the Order of Canada Walter Homburger (1924-2019) was an early mentor of Canadian classical pianist Glen Gould (1932-1982).
American college voice teacher Harriet Marty was a mentor to American operatic baritone, who led premieres for numerous contemporary American operas, Robert Orth (1947-2019) who is a mentor to Texas-born American baritone Michael Mayes.
American playwright and grandfather Mark Medoff (1940-2019), the writer of the multiple award-winning Children of a Lesser God as well as 30 other plays and 19 movies, was considered a mentor who "had a way of making every creative heart with whom he worked feel as if their work, or their part in his work, was the single most important thing to him in the moment. In turn, hundreds of writers, actors, directors and creatives all over the world consider Mark Medoff a mentor."
Pittsburgh-born American playwright August Wilson (1945-2005) is a mentor to American playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney.
American artist, author, spiritual consultant and filmmaker Zachary Selig is a mentor to American actress, author and mental health advocate Mariel Hemingway.
German-born American dance teacher and choreographer Bessie Schönberg (1906-1997); and pioneering American modern dance teacher Ernestine Stodelle (1913-2008) are mentors to award-wining American composer of opera, plays, films, dances and museum installations Meredith Monk who serves as a Choreographic Mentor at the Julliard School of Music.
German composer and conductor Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a mentor to Austrain composer and organist Anton Bruckner (1824-1896).
Amsterdam-born Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink is a mentor to German principal conductor David Afkham.
American professor emeritus of music Jane Paul Hummel is a mentor to award-winning American dramatic soprano Deborah Voigt who serves as a mentor to young artists.
Multiple award-winning American theatrical producer and director associated with many of the best-know Broadway musical productions of the 20th century Harold Prince (1928-2019) mentored many young professionals on and backstage. Mr. Prince named American producer, director, screenwriter, film director and playwright George Abbott (1887-1995) as his mentor.
Charles MacKay is a mentor to opera general director and administrator Robert K. Meya.
English early-music conductor Harry Bickett () is a mentor to American conductor and artistic director Andrew Altenbach.
American musical conductor James Levine is a mentor to operatic tenor Matthew Polenzani.
London Symphony Orchestra's longest-serving conductor Sir Colin Davis (1927-2013) is a mentor to conductor Robin Ticciati, who said of his mentor: "he never forced me into anything. Instead, he waited to see what decisions I would make on my own, and then would beckon me back into his wisdom and teach me from it."
American award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato has a number of mentors and finds time to mentor young singers. In an interview with National Public Radio, Ms. DiDonato said, "I don't have one teacher that changed my life. I've had hundreds of them. I hope they continue entering my life and giving me permission to think, risk, try and fail. And I hope that I will always be able to welcome their insight and inspiration."
American dance critic and one of the founders of the Dance Critics Association Tobi Tobias (1938-2020) is a mentor to Nicole D. Collins.
Leningrad-born Soviet-American conductor Semyon Bychkov is a mentor to French conductor and music director Louis Langrée
American pianist Peter Serkin (1947-2020) was described as a "committed mentor to young musicians."
Italian conductor Nello Santi (1931-2020) is a mentor to Welsh operatic dramatic soprano Gwyneth Jones; and Polish-born classical and opera singer Piotr Beczala.
American virtuoso violinist who gained international acclaim for her skill and virtuosity Maud Powell (1867-1920) was mentored by France-born American child prodigy violinist and teacher Camilla Urso (1842-1902), who inspired a generation of young girl violinists; and German-American Maestro and violinist Theodore Thomas (1835-1905).
Canadian singer Gerald Finley is a mentor to Grammy nominated American opera singer baritone John Brancy.
Massachusetts-born American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is a mentor to prize-winning American conductor, a multiple Grammy nominee, honourary member of the Royal Academy of Music and the first woman to lead a major orchestra Marin Alsop.
Emmy-Award winning conductor and composer for film and television Joel McNeely is a mentor to American composer of concert music, film, and video game scores Christopher Tin.
Liverpool, England-born British conductor Simon Rattle is a mentor to French conductor and airline pilot Daniel Harding.
Australian composer and pioneer of electronic music as well as social justice advocate Martin Wesley-Smith (1945-2019) was a mentor to Australian composer and jazz pianist Ian Fredericks (1943-2001).
The Luna Composition Lab is a mentorship program intended for female and gender non-conforming composers and existsin partnershipwith Face The Music at the Kaufman Music Center.
Jose Antonio Abreu (1939-2018), the founder of El Sistema, is a mentor to Gustavo Dudamel, music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
American choreographer Tere O'Connor is a mentor to American dancer Tess Dworman who said of her mentor: "When I'm working with him, I feel like there are so many options of what I can do. There are so many interesting choices available and there's no judging."
American dancer and former director of the Sarah Lawrence College dance department Viola Farber; and choreographer and dancer David Gordon are mentors to ballet choreographer Pam Tanowitz.
Pulitzer Prize-winning American author who wrote, among others, The Yearling, Marjorie Rawlings (1896-1953) was a mentor to American dancer, choreographer and anthropologist Pearl Primus (1919-1994).
New York-born American songwriter Frank Loesser (1910-1969) was a mentor to Broadway songwriter Jerry Herman (1931-2019), who wrote Hello, Dolly!, Mame and La Cage aux Folles. Mr. Herman was 17 when he met Mr. Loesser and said of his mentor, "That wonderful man is responsible for my life in the theatre. I met him at that crucial point in your life when you don't know where you're going but you have secret hopes about where it's going to be."
Austrian theater and opera director Walter Felsenstein (1901-1975) was a mentor to longtime opera director of Berlin's Komische Oper Harry Kupfer (1935-2019).
Classical pianist Lang Lang is a mentor to prize-winning pianist Maxim Lando.
New Jersey-born classical pianist Dalton Baldwin (1931-2019) was known as mentor to many young musicians.
German choirmaster-organist Rudolf Mauersberger (1889-1971) was a mentor to opera singer and conductor Peter Schreier (1935-2019).
Former Van Cliburn competitor and Moores School of Music Piano program leader Nancy Weems is a mentor to internationally-recognized classical pianist Kenny Broberg.
American arts management teacher, former president of the Kennedy Center, nicknamed "The Turnaround King" Michael Kaiser is a mentor to art institute Brett Egan; ballet executive Jason Palmquist; and the Board of Dance Working, a U.K.-based cultural programme.
Ontario-born model, dancer and entrepreneur and founder of her own Toronto-based ballet school Anna McCowan Johnson (?-2020) was mentored by the award-winning UK-born Canadian co-founder of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and member of the Order of Canada Gweneth Lloyd (1901-1993).
American founder of IMG Artists Charles Hamlin (-2018) is a mentor to former managing director of IMG Artists, president of Universal Classics and arts center executive Elizabeth Sobol.
French composer, organist, conductor and pianist Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was a mentor to Polish-American-Lithuanian virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938).
Award-winning American concert pianist Sidney Foster (1977-1977) was a mentor to Imelda Delgado. Ms. Delgado relates this story about her mentor in her book An Intimate Portrait of Sidney Foster, Pianist-mentor: "During a piano lesson many years ago, as I struggled to project my ideas in a new piece, sensing my frustration, he said sympathetically: 'Imelda, life is about solving problems. It is like a series of curtains which we are compelled to open. When we succeed in opening that curtain, we see that there is yet another curtain and many, many more. So we continue pushing them back through our lives until the final one.'"
Russian conductor and opera company director Valery Gergiev (1953-) is a mentor to Danish violinist and conductor Nikolaj Znaider (1975-).
CEO and President of the Los Angeles Opera Christopher Koelsch is a mentor to freelance singer and voice teacher Kiley Hazelton through her selection as a member of the Thornton School of Music Board of Councilors Mentorship Program.
Bolivia-born conductor, violinist and teacher Jaime Laredo is a mentor to American violinist Jennifer Koh.
Bavaria-born former resident conductor of the San Franciso Symphony and Music Director of the San Francisco Youth Orchestra Christian Reif considers both Julliard music teacher Alan Gilbert; and American conductor, pianist and composer and currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony and artistic director of the New World Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas as his mentors.
Alberta, Canadian-born former classical music senior producer at the CBC Neil Crory (1950-2018) was a mentor to Calgary-born Canadian soprano Erin Wall (1975-2020), who sadly died of breast cancer at age 44.
Virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist Andrés Segovia (1893-1987); and British classical guitarist Julian Bream (1933-2020) are mentors to Amercian Grammy award-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin, the founder of the guitar department at Julliard School of Music, is a mentor to guitarists Colin Davin; Tengyue Zhang; and Alberta Khoury. Ms. Isbin said of her mentor, "I was a fortunate to have a few lessons with him. I do remember the first time I ever played for him. It was really a little bit intimidating because he was such a king figure in the guitar world. My guitar was literally bouncing off my chest, but eventually, I would say the magic of working with Segovia was to sit just a few inches away from him when he would demonstrate, to hear this gorgeous diamond-like beautiful sound that he was able to produce, and that became the model of what I wanted for my sound and my tone." About her mentor, Julian Bream, she recalled: "He came to Minneapolis, where I was growing up, to perform a solo recital. Through a connection my parents made with the presenters, he offered to give me a lesson on the day of his concert. We met him at the hall. I even remember the piece I played: the Prelude from Bach's 3rd Cello Suite. He was very gracious and kind, with an engaging smile Ñ that big Julian smile. He said, 'That's lovely, but did you notice, Sharon, you hardly ever use the third finger, the ring finger, on your right hand when you're playing? It would be a lot easier for you if you used all four fingers.' Oddly enough, no one had pointed that out to me before. He said, 'You need to include that finger whenever itÕs appropriate.' Believe it or not, that one little lesson, that one moment of advice, probably made the entire difference in my life. I will always be grateful to him for that. I took it to heart and started to reexamine and re-finger everything I was doing. It was a turning point. And though I had no idea at the time I would become a professional guitarist, it made the journey much more informed."
American choreographer and teacher known as "the father of theatrical jazz dance" Jack Cole (1911-1974) was a mentor to Oklahoma-born jazz dance pioneer and choreographer Matt Mattox (1921-2013), who dazzled movie goers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Principal oboe for the Grammy Award-winning Nashville Symphony Titus Underwood was described by the symphony's music director as a valued teacher and mentor in their education programs.
New York's Concert Artists Guild (CAG) is committed to mentoring musicians who have a passion for education.
Chineke! creates opportunities for established Black, Asian and ethnically diverse musicians through mentoring schemes.
Detroit Symphony Orchestra's President and CEO Anne Parsons serves as a mentor for Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program, Inc.
American founder and Tanglewood Festival Chorus conductor John Oliver (1939-2018); and conducting mentors Lorin Maazel, Ann Howard Jones, Marin Alsop, JoAnn Falletta, David Hoose are mentors to Russian-American opera and symphony conductor and advocate for Russian masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works Lidiya Yankovskaya.
Canadian university lecturer and faculty advisor to the drama society Alvin Shaw was a mentor to Newfoundland-born Canadian Theatre of New Brunswick founder, director, writer, actor and natural storyteller Walter Learning (1938-2020), a member of the Order of Canada, and a mentor to many in the theatre community.
Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra Maestro Randall Craig Fleisher (1958-2020), the composer of Rocktopia, a mixture of classical music with Rock Ôn Roll that debuted in Youngstown and later ran for six weeks on Broadway, was a mentor to many orchestra players.
Detroit-born Founder and Artistic Director of Amore Opera, university professor and baritone Nathan Hull (1951-2020) is a mentor to Jean-Pierre Dareys.
Former editor of Australian magazine Clive Paget is a mentor playwright and musical theatre writer Tim Connor.

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