Patrick Lemanski Named Head of Classics, Warner Music UK

Warner Music Group (WMG) today announced the appointment of Patrick Lemanski as Head of Classics, Warner Music UK.  In this new role, he will spearhead WMG’s UK Classics operations, and oversee its promotion, marketing and sales teams. Lemanski joins Warner Classics from Harmonia Mundi, where he served as Managing Director in the UK.
 
“I am profoundly honored to join Warner Music, and very much look forward to working with its various teams,” said Lemanski. “Having worked for many years in the classical music industry, I have always admired their prestigious catalogue. I am also very attracted by their resolute embrace of new ambitious projects. I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued success and leadership.”
 
“Patrick is an extremely talented music executive, and we greatly admire all he’s accomplished with Harmonia Mundi,” said Alain Lanceron, President, Warner Classics. “As Warner Classics continues to grow, Patrick will make a tremendous addition to our team and we look forward to his leadership of our UK arm.”
 
Lemanski held various positions at Harmonia Mundi over the years, beginning as an International Export Manager and climbing the ranks to become French Sales Director, then International Director and, ultimately, Managing Director in the UK. He previously held stints at Thomson-CSF (now Thales) and Renault.
 
Lemanski is taking over from John Kelleher, who is retiring after 25 years as part of the Warner Music family.
 
Just last week, Warner Classics was named Label of the Year at Classica’s Choc de l’Année Awards, while American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky were each nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
 
Recent signings to Warner Classics include American tenor Bryan Hymel and the Aurora orchestra, one of the UK’s most creative ensembles. Recent signings to Erato include revered French contralto and conductor Nathalie Stutzmann as well as young harpsichordist Jean Rondeau.
 
About Warner Classics
 
Warner Classics is one of the world’s leading global classical music recording companies. Based in Paris, Warner Classics and Erato exclusively record some of the finest musicians around the world, including Alison Balsom, Natalie Dessay, Joyce DiDonato, Philippe Jaroussky, Emmanuel Pahud, Sir Antonio Pappano, and distinguished organizations like the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The company boasts an unrivalled catalogue of recordings by international superstars Plácido Domingo, Maxim Vengerov, Nigel Kennedy, Kiri Te Kanawa, Itzhak Perlman, André Previn, Daniel Barenboim, and Riccardo Muti, and the historic recordings of Mstislav Rostropovich, Maria Callas, Victoria de los Angeles, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jacqueline du Pré, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, Sir Adrian Boult, and Sir John Barbirolli, as well as the longest-serving artist in the history of the record industry, violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin.

Source: Warner Music Group