Neil Leonard

NEIL LEONARD works as a sound artist, composer and saxophonist. His ensemble has featured Marshall Allen (Director of the Sun Ra Arkestra), Bruce Barth, Dave Bryant, Don Byron, Kenwood Dennard, Robin Eubanks, Frank Lacy, Oriente Lopez, Ernesto Rodriguez, 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 Recital Hall by Byron and Caine. Leonard studied composition with Bob Brookmeyer, Michael Gandolfi and George Russell.

In the past year Leonard organized two festivals of electronic music with concerts in Rome, Venice, La Spezia, Siena, Tel Aviv, Haifa, New York and Boston. Leonard compositions were featured in festivals in Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Sweden.

Leonard performed with Afrocuba, Marshall Allen, Victor Bailey, Guillermo Barretto, Boston Ballet, Bruce Barth, Hiram Bullock, Don Byron, Tyrone Brown, Uri Caine, Bakida Carrol, Vic Chesnutt, Dominique Eade, Kevin Eubanks, Robin Eubanks Jimmy Fallon, Tom Fowler, Bill Frisell, Gene Jackson, Leroy Jenkins, Howard Johnson, Billy Kilson, Victor Lewis, Elliott Levin, John Lockwood, Oriente Lopez, Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez (Buena Vista Social Club), Joe Maneri, John Medeski, Butch Morris, Joe Morris, Phill Niblock, Don Patterson, Billy Paul, Giuliano Perin, Odean Pope, Wolfgang Pushnick, Michael Ray, Todd Rundgren, Emiliano Salvador, Dave Samuels, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Lew Soloff, Steve Swallow, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Howard Tate, David Thomas (Pere Ubu), Rip Torn, Garry Valente, Mark Whitfield, Phil Wilson, Evan Ziporyn

Leonard's collaborative work with visual artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons was featured by 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.

Leonards solo CD Timaeus features works for saxophone/live electronics - published by Cedar Hill Records.

Leonard is co-owner of Gallery Artist Studio Project GASP and curator of the GASP sonic arts series in Boston. Leonard is a Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and recently taught sound installation at the Univeristy of Padova and the C. Pollini Conservatory, Italy.