Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolaev (Russian: Леонид Владимирович Николаев; 18 October 1940 – 26 July 2009) was a Russian conductor and a professor.
Leonid Nikolaev graduated from the Moscow Conservatory as a symphony and opera conductor under Balashov in 1963, and completed his postgraduate studies at the same institution under Shereshevsky in 1966. In 1972 - 1973 he studied in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky.
In 1989 he became a conductor of the Moscow Conservatory junior Symphony Orchestra. His first program there included Beethoven's triple concerto and Symphony no. 5. In 1992 he began conducting conservatory's senior Symphony Orchestra.
From 1986 Nikolaev taught conducting at the Moscow Conservatory. Among his notable former students are Vladimir Ryzhaev, Vasily Valitov and Taeyoung Park.Alexander Vedernikov.
