Reinbert de Leeuw established a reputation as one of the most eloquent and persuasive conductors of contemporary music in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He became well known in the 1970s for his interpretations of the piano music of Satie but then focused his energies largely on conducting the works of contemporary composers, particularly mavericks who bucked the tradition of serialism that dominated the new music scene for nearly half a century following the Second World War.
De Leeuw was born on September 8, 1939, in Amsterdam. He studied piano and theory at the Am...