Continuator: The Autobiography of a Socially-Conscious, Cosmopolitan Composer

Continuator: The Autobiography of a Socially-Conscious, Cosmopolitan ComposerHistorically, the term "cosmopolitan" has often been combined with the adjective "rootless," to describe members of the Jewish diaspora with a sense of alienation from mainstream culture. The author of this autobiography, the creator of music to words in eleven languages, and translations from each of them into his native English, feels anything but rootless, however, in his devotion to learning from and extending tradition. In this memoir, he

Historically, the term "cosmopolitan" has often been combined with the adjective "rootless," to describe members of the Jewish diaspora with a sense of alienation from mainstream culture.  The author of this autobiography, the creator of music to words in eleven languages, and translations from each of them into his native English, feels anything but rootless, however, in his devotion to learning from and extending tradition. 

In this memoir, he describes the influences of family, mentors, and colleagues that have shaped his life and work, including 100 translations/adaptations, 12 operas, 7 musicals, and 246 other vocal & instrumental works (heard on 6 continents) based on words by Blake, Rossetti, Shelley, Dickinson, Malamud, Chekhov, Heine, Brecht, Nash, Abel Meeropol, Langston Hughes, Norman Rosten, Karl Shapiro, Mihai Eminescu, Joel Shatzky, and dozens of other writers (especially women and Australians) in English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Ladino, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Xhosa and Yiddish. 

He also recounts his learning experiences at Harvard, Cornell, Indiana; with the Guarneri Quartet, Nadia Boulanger, Erik Werba, Boris Goldovsky; as Metropolitan Opera Assistant Chorus Master; and in several German-speaking theaters in Europe, culminating in Berlin, where he was the first Jew to conduct Fiddler on the Roof in that city, and founded the Jüdischer Musiktheaterverein Berlin. At the invitation of Wolfgang Wagner, he and his wife Helene performed the first Yiddish song recital in Bayreuth during the Wagner Festival.

Adapting/completing unfinished works by Marc Blitzstein, including Idiots First (winner of the first Off-Broadway Opera Award for "most important event of the season") and Sacco and Vanzetti (nominated for a Pulitzer Prize), he worked with Leonard Bernstein, who called him "Marc's dybbuk” and composers Lazar Weiner, Paul Hindemith, Earl Kim, Harold Blumenfeld, Virgil Thomson, David Diamond, Joel Mandelbaum, Tom Lehrer, Lou (& Peter) Berryman, Pete Seeger, Sheldon Harnick, Ned Rorem, Stephen Sondheim, John Eaton, Donald Erb, Robert M. Palmer and especially Elie Siegmeister, who called him "my Continuator" - hence the title of this book.

Finally, the autobiography chronicles adventures on four continents, including over 700 performances with soprano Helene Williams, celebrating Emma Goldman, Rosa Luxemburg, Anne Frank, and five centuries of music, theatre, and naturism, in close to 5,000 YouTube videos with over 1,000,000 views, to date.

About the Author

A member of the Green Party, Community Church of Boston, and the ACLU, Leonard J. Lehrman was the first President of the Long Island Composers Alliance; co-chaired the National Committee to Reopen the Rosenberg Case; and hosted WHRB's "Serious Music Today" and WBAI's "Music of All the Americas." He attended the 1963 March on Washington and conducted the 1989 Manhattan premiere of the cantata I Have A Dream, as well as the Workmen's Circle Chorus, Oceanside Chorale, and Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island. Reference Librarian at Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library since 1995, Metropolitan Synagogue High Holidays Music Director since 2014, he founded The Metropolitan Philharmonic Chorus and the Composer/Performer Roundtable of the Music Library Association; and created and taught the first course in Jewish Opera at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. 

Reviews

"In the opening story of his family, Leonard Lehrman writes that his grandfather’s “persistence, meticulousness and honesty were [said to be] legendary.” This history is enough of a gift to justify the book, but that quote also applies to Leonard, whose legend preceded him when he entered Harvard as a musical wunderkind.   “CONTINUATOR: The Autobiography of a Socially-Conscious, Cosmopolitan Composer” is an uncompromising chronicle of a radically talented composer, teacher, and pianist who describes his devoted life in music as a struggle. What emerges is a history of our time revealed in one man’s saga, with shattering glimpses of self-awareness and love for this world and its people."
--Philip Aaberg, Legendary pianist, composer, Grammy and Emmy Nominee, honorary D.M., Montana State University

"Lehrman pens a comprehensive work of legacy, influence, and impact. He invites us into his life through stories of his family lineage told with humor and wit but with raw truths that provide morsels of wisdom for us all. The chapters proceed with a detailed journey of Lehrman’s access and exploration in music that leads him to a career researching, composing, and performing music to promote social justice in works of Jewish identity. As the ultimate scholar on the works of Marc Blitzstein, it is no surprise to witness in this publication the impact and influences on Lehrman in how he has become the consummate musician and scholar that he is." --Jeremy Blackwood, Dean of Graduate Studies/Associate Professor of Voice, Southeastern Oklahoma State University

"Leonard Lehrman’s new autobiography is a fascinating reflection of an incredibly active, brilliant, and consequential American musician and scholar.  Lehrman’s encyclopedic memory takes the reader on a comprehensive and animated journey through each stage of his personal and professional life, all of which contribute to his enduring impact on the contemporary American musical landscape.  Anyone possessing either a profound or peripheral interest in the intersection of contemporary American composition, performance, and social dignity should acquire Leonard Lehrman’s new book.  You won’t be able to put it down."
--Dr. Kenneth O. Boulton, Dean, School of Fine Arts, Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota

"Delightfully readable as well as remarkably comprehensive, Lehrman's book charts not only the course of his own indefatigable life in music, but also provides rich contextual background for his enduring preoccupations with social justice, his devotion to like-minded composer forebear Marc Blitzstein, and the world of his own far-ranging musical output. The text is both wonderfully informal and scholarly; headstrong, opinionated yet self-deprecating; humane but sometimes witheringly direct; penned by a mind to which seemingly every detail sticks, but also by someone who knows how to tell a good story and not linger a moment too long on any one subject. From its eyewitness perspective, the book celebrates a learned but free-spirited and independent 20th and 21st century composer who has written music in every imaginable genre, and for whom the art has consistently been wedded to political activism, and human and spiritual expression." 
--Allen Shawn, composer, pianist, professor at Bennington College, author and biographer of Arnold Schoenberg and Leonard Bernstein

Reading Continuator feels like walking through a living gallery of music, history, and social conscience — all shaped by the vision of one remarkable, deeply devoted individual. The scope of your experiences and the depth of your artistic achievements are truly extraordinary. What resonates most with me is how your work unites cultures, languages, and generations, as a deeply rooted guardian and innovator of tradition. Your ability to give voice to so many writers in 11 different languages speaks not only to your musical mastery, but also to an unwavering commitment to fostering human connection. Your journey shines with artistic bravery: conducting Fiddler on the Roof in Berlin, presenting the first Yiddish song recital in Bayreuth, completing Marc Blitzstein’s unfinished works alongside greats like Leonard Bernstein, and honoring historical figures such as Emma Goldman and Anne Frank through music. These are not mere professional milestones — they are enduring cultural landmarks. I’m equally moved by your steadfast dedication to social justice. It’s rare to encounter an artist who balances activism, scholarship, and creative excellence with such harmony. Continuator is far more than an autobiography — it is the living portrait of a man who has embodied his values, sustained tradition, and built a multilingual, global, and socially conscious legacy. This is a work alive with music, history, and purpose, one that I believe will continue to inspire both musicians and non-musicians for many years to come. --Sam Collins, Literary Consultant from Books to Life Marketing

Review Links

https://www.liherald.com/stories/this-valley-stream-composers-life-in-music-is-now-in-print,212580

https://www.longislandpress.com/2025/03/03/leonard-lehrman-continuator/

https://www.liherald.com/stories/leonard-lehrman-opera-composer-valley-stream-oyster-bay-library,213554

https://liherald.com/stories/what-to-know-about-famed-composer-and-oyster-bay-east-norwich-public-library-reference-librarian,213740

Steve Lipman's review in Jewish World

Review of 9/10/25 Author Event

Autumn/Winter 2025 Opera Journal Review (See page 86)

Author Interviews

"Your book reads in a very folksy manner. I mean people can easily read it -it has a lot of information about all sorts of individuals that you've met and worked with over the years, and it's sort of like sitting-down-in-a-room-with-a-friend kind of style of writing." - Judy Pinnolis

Judy Pinnolis, Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement at the Library at Berklee talks with Dr. Leonard J. Lehrman

Interview with Isabella Oren of LiHerald.com

Tues. Oct. 14 9-10pm Janet Coleman interviews Leonard & Helene on Cat Radio Cafe over WBAI, 99.5 FM & wbai.org - archived at https://wbai.org/archive/program/episode/?id=61035

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whisper-in-the-wings-episode-1396/id1573470927?i=1000743664323

Other Articles

https://www.liherald.com/stories/vs-composer-leonard-j-lehrman-celebrates-76th-birthday,217244

https://alte.substack.com/p/my-life-in-jewish-music

Leonard J. Lehrman's BookTalk

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmhHI8m9j-XsUWz3f7_tEQr_RU-LN9hHX