Wadsworth gained international renown in 1960 by originating the Midday Concerts at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto.
He led the series for twenty seasons, commissioning new works by Pierre Boulez, Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein, among others.
He also presented many young performers, including Kathleen Battle, Richard Goode, Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Serkin, Pinchas Zukerman and Jessye Norman.
[1][2][3] In 1996, Wadsworth organized a concert for the 1996 Summer Olympics including Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell and Frederica von Stade.
Wadsworth has been invited to perform at the White House for the Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.