SHORT BIO

NEIL LEONARD is known for his unique approach to composition/improvisation. His ensemble has featured Marshall Allen (Director of the Sun Ra Arkestra), Bruce Barth, Don Byron, Michael Evans, Robin Eubanks, Frank Lacy, Badal Roy, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Uri Caine. 

Leonard’s Dreaming of an Island, (for orchestra, electronics and live-video) was premiered by Kirk Trevor and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Leonard's composition Totems was premiered at Carnegie Hall. His Echoes and Footsteps was featured by the Tel Aviv Biennial for New Music, Issue Project Room (NYC) and the Auditorium di Roma. 

Leonard's collaborative work with visual artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons was featured by the 49th Venice Biennial, Museum of Modern Art (NYC); purchased by the National Gallery of Canada; and presented by the U.S. State Department at Dakar Biennial. Leonard composed the music for Relatives, by Tony Oursler and Constance DeJong featured by the Whitney Biennial. Leonard organized festivals of time based art in Rome, Venice, La Spezia, Siena, Tel Aviv, Haifa, New York and Boston.

Leonard taught sound installation at the University of Padova and the C. Pollini Conservatory, Italy. He taught courses in electronic music and multimedia at Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Leonard is a professor of Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where he was honored with the award for the ‘most valuable contribution to the Music Technology Division.’ He taught sound installation at the University of Padova and the C. Pollini Conservatory, Italy. He has taught courses in electronic music and multimedia at Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Leonard is co-owner of Gallery Artist Studio Project GASP in Brookline and curator of Sonic Arts @ GASP. 

LONGER BIO

Neil Leonard is known for his highly unique approach to composition/improvisation. His ensemble has featured Marshall Allen (Director of the Sun Ra Arkestra), Bruce Barth, Don Byron, Michael Evans, Robin Eubanks, Frank Lacy, Badal Roy, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Uri Caine. Leonard's composition Totems was premiered by the World Music Institute at Carnegie Recital Hall featuring Byron and Caine. Recently, Leonard led the woodwind section and arranged the finale Hal Wilner’s tributes to Randy Newman and the Firesign Theater at UCLA’s Royce Hall, with musicians Bill Frisell, David Hidalgo, Van Dyke Parks, Vic Chesnutt, Todd Rungren, Howard Tate, David Thomas (Pere Ubu) and actors John Goodman, Jimmy Fallon and Rip Torn.

Leonard performed with Boston Ballet, Lester Bowie, Bakida Carrol, Bill Frisell, Tom Hamilton, Tyrone Hill, Leroy Jenkins, Howard Johnson, Byard Lancaster , Richard Lerman, Elliott Levin, Victor Lewis, Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez (Buena Vista Social Club) , Joe Maneri, John Medeski, Jymmie Merritt, Joe Morris, Phill Niblock, Zeena Parkins, Tom Plsek, Larry Polansky, Odean Pope, Wolfgang Pushnick, Emilliano Salvador. D. Sharpe, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Lew Soloff, Steve Swallow, Garry Valente, Phil Wilson, Bobby Zankel, Evan Ziporyn. Leonard's Interpretations and compositions can be heard on XtraWATT/ECM, A&M, MIT Press and Accurate Records. His debut solo CD Timaeus features works for saxophone and live electronics and is published by Cedar Hill Records.

Leonard was a featured composer at VI Jornadas de Informatica y Electronica Musical, Banff Festival for the Arts; International Computer Music Convention, Montreal; Henie-Onstad kunstsenter, Norway; Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid; Echigo Triennial, Japan; Muestra Musical de Siglo XX University of Puerto Rico, San Juan; Alternative '97 Moscow, Russia; Festiwal Audio Art, Krakow, Poland. In New York he has presented works at Carnegie Recital Hall, Knitting Factory, Roulette and the Experimental Intermedia Foundation.

The New York Times Sunday Edition article Taking Over the Joystick of Natural Selection is one example of a dozen articles that examine his work with new technologies. Leonardo Music Journal (MIT Press) featured an article on his work with computers and improvisation. His composition and performance was the subject of a cover article for Computer Music Journal (MIT Press).

Leonard's collaborative works with visual artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons have been exhibited at the 49th Venice Biennial, Museum of Modern Art, NY, purchased by the National Gallery of Canada and presented by the U.S. State Department at DakArt/Dakar Biennial in Senegal. Leonard composed the music for 'Relatives' by Tony Oursler and Constance DeJong that was featured at the Whitney Biennial, and Salem Mekuria for her 'Ye Wonz Baibel' (Deluge) commissioned by BBC Television/Channel 4 exhibited at the 50th Venice Biennial. Leonard is co-owner of Gallery Artist Studio Project GASP and curator of the GASP sonic arts series in Boston.

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