Neil Leonard
Neil Leonard is a sound artist, saxophonist and composer. He performs his compositions with a mix of contemporary musicians and folkloric ensembles. Recent sound installations explore how global marketing impacts our listening, and were made in collaboration with bartenders, biologists, street criers and dock workers. Leonard's LP, Sonance for the Procession was produced in collaboration with the Willams College Museum of Art.
His compositions were featured by documenta 14 (Germany), Musicacustica (China), International Computer Music Convention (Canada), Tel Aviv Biennial for New Music (Israel), Moscow Autumn (Russia), Museo Riena Sofia (Spain), Jazz Plaza International Festival (Cuba), Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (USA) and in New York at Carnegie Hall, Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, Roulette, Experimental Intermedia Foundation, Issue Project Room, Knitting Factory. Leonard’s ensemble featured Joanne Brackeen, Terence Blanchard and Robin Eubanks. Leonard performed and recorded with Juan Blanco, Alvin Curran, Richard Devine, Vijay Iyer, Phill Niblock, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner, Stephen Vitiello, Hal Wilner and Amnon Wolman.
Leonard composed the music for Relatives, by Tony Oursler and Constance DeJong, that was presented by the Whitney Biennial. Leonard’s sound composition "Lavender Ruins” was commissioned by Fujiko Nakaya for her fog installation Fog Ruins, Franklin Park, Boston. Leonard performed with Phill Niblock in Ten Days Six Nights at the Tate Modern (UK). Leonard created 38 multimedia works with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons that were featured by the Venice Biennale (Italy), Guggenheim Museum (USA), MoMA (USA).
Leonard was a Sacatar Institute Fellow (2023), Montalvo Art Center, Lucas Artists Fellow (2018), Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Artist-in-Residence (2016); Fulbright Specialist Award recipient (2016); M.I.T. program in Art, Culture and Technology Research Affiliate (2014-15). Leonard is the Artistic Director of the Interdisciplinary Arts Institute at Berklee College of Music.