A conversation with conductor Leslie B. Dunner ranges from Schubert to sharks. He values his encounters with each: "I'm trying to fit life in," he says. "Life happens when we make it happen."

Dunner, a native New Yorker raised in Harlem and the South Bronx, returns to San Jose this weekend as guest conductor with Symphony Silicon Valley. His past appearances with the orchestra have been smart and elegant — and energized, so maybe "fitting life in" is a good strategy for bringing a little something extra to the music. This weekend's program at the California Theatre features Mahler (Symphony No. 4, a beauty) and Mozart (the sublime "Vesperae Solennes de confessore").

Dunner's conducting career has taken him from New York (assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, 1994-2001) to Chicago (music director of the Joffrey Ballet, 2003-2008) to Durban, South Africa, where he will spend part of the summer conducting the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra. Now principal conductor of the Louisville Ballet, he spoke by phone from his home outside Chicago.

Q Your work has landed you, for long stretches, in Nova Scotia, Detroit, South Africa. Are conductors, by definition, wanderers?

A No, I don't think so. There are two types of cats. There's the outdoor cat that likes to be on the hunt, and then there's the indoor cat that almost never goes outside, that hides and lives in his small but comfortable world. I think I'm the kind of cat that likes to go out and be on the road.


And when I'm not conducting, I like to do things that are really interesting and non-musically based, and that might have some impact on what I'm doing musically. For instance, last fall I was doing volunteer work at an old age home, and being around very, very old people was something that I actually found frightening. There was no guidance, I was the only volunteer at the facility, and I was terrified. I had no idea what to do. I ended up learning how to do physical therapy with them, and ultimately made my way around and learned about 40 of their personal stories. And I know that will have an impact on me.

And believe it or not, I was also working as a crew member of a shark diving boat and that opened a whole new world of adventure, of freedom of mind, of hard work. This year, I will most likely do something with the rescue and rehabilitation of lions.

Q So what's the impact on music?

A It gives me a perspective on life that is outside my comfort zone. And the more we know outside of our home-cat territory, I think the more we have to bring to interpreting music.

Q Were your parents "outside the comfort zone" people?

A No. I was just visiting them two days ago, and they were saying that they always found me to be an unusual child. My nickname was "Gramps" — my mother always said I was the oldest soul she had ever met as a child. When I was 8 years old, she would stare at me and say, "You're from Mars."

We were very much a working-class family. But we just didn't seem to have, in many ways, a traditional working-class mentality. It was assumed that you were going to go to college. It was assumed that you would be bringing home A's. This notion of just passing didn't exist.

Q You're conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 4 in San Jose. Will you quickly describe it for readers?

A There's a feeling of joy, right from the very beginning. It's a melancholic joy. You have these little sleigh bells and this winter theme, and then you go into this very beautiful laconic melody. So there's a feeling of cheerfulness, of the many aspects of life that are to be enjoyed. But then you have the clash of those happy themes and this undercurrent of menace, and it's this constant clash that really makes the symphony interesting.

Q You've spent years in the dance world. How'd that happen?

A My first concept of dance actually came from ethnic music. My sister was involved in learning about African music and so, aside from church, that was my first musical experience. And classical music came in through junior and senior high school. And ballet didn't come into it until I was studying for my doctorate and it was suggested that I take a course in classical dance.

I believe in holistic conducting. The entire body has to be a conduit; it's not just about the arm. And I was always very physical as a conductor, and I moved around a lot. I think my conducting teacher was afraid I was going to fall off the podium. And so I was told to study classical dance to find my balance in my body.

Q Do you enjoy the formality of classical music? What's it like standing up there all night long in coat and tails?

A Think of doing an aerobic workout for 2﻿1/2 hours in a suit and overcoat — under the lights. It's not a comfortable feeling. I designed my set of tails a few years ago when I was in Bangkok. It's a silk-wool blend, and it breathes. Ultimately, I want to go to something that's lighter, not so suit-like, but still formal.

Q Why is the formality important?

A We are the vehicle through which the music is being channeled. You know, it's kind of like a minister coming up to talk in front of a congregation. It's great when a minister is wearing sandals with the long hair and the beads. But not when he's doing the Latin Mass; it's not the culture of the Mass.

We are dealing with material that is greater than ourselves. We have to be perceived as not ourself.

Symphony Silicon Valley

Leslie B. Dunner, guest conductor

When: 8 p.m. Saturday,
2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: California Theatre,
345 S. First St., San Jose
Tickets: $39-$75; www.
or 408-286-2600, ext. 23