ANDREW LEONARD

Andrew Leonard. Clarinetist. Teaching Artist.

In the fifth grade I told my parents, “All I need in college is a decent place to be noisy and play clarinet.” Since then I’ve been searching for the notes, people, venues, and music that feel like home. After graduating Juilliard’s Pre-College Division and USC’s Thornton School of Music, I’ve performed on three continents and I’m now in LA to take in California’s diversity and possibility. I love chamber music, and I’m currently working with the Symbiosis Ensemble and Midnight Winds.

In an effort to gain further notoriety as a soloist and chamber musician, I’ve earned honors in the Torranace, Redlands, and Peninsula Music Festival concerto competitions, I was semi-finalist in the Midland-Odessa competition in Texas and I received a grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation. I’ve recorded for numerous soundtracks and performed with the International Bachakademie, New York String Seminar, Santa Monica Symphony, Intimate Opera Company, San Bernardino Symphony, and the Burbank Philharmonic among others.

I also express my passion for music through my teaching practice. I’ve written programs for the LA Phil, Harmony Project, the Music Center, USC Thornton School of Music, The Orchestras of Pasadena, and The DaCamera Society. I’m also a member of the applied music faculty at Mt. St. Mary’s College.