“While especially feted for his Mozart and Mahler, James Conlon is such an insightful and consistently reliable interpreter of such a wide range of music that his podium gifts tend to get taken for granted. Though somewhat undervalued at the time, Conlon’s 11-year tenure (2005-15) as Ravinia’s music director is, in hindsight, increasingly looking like a golden age for the North Shore festival…. Music director of LA Opera for nearly two decades, Conlon provided a fizzing immediacy and sense of the theatre to Mendelssohn’s music.” – Chicago Classical Review