Download 1100-word bio David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician

1100-word bio
David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as an
electrifying performing artist, a distinguished composer, and a master teacher. “Among the
finest guitarists of all time”, according to American Record Guide,, his superb musicianship and
provocative programming have been applauded by critics and audiences around the world.
He has been acclaimed as "a triple-threat performer" by The New York Times, a "serious,
exploratory and imaginative musician" by The Boston Globe, and “among the finest guitarists
of all time” by American Record Guide.
Mr. Leisner's career as a guitarist began auspiciously with top prizes in both the 1975
Toronto and 1981 Geneva International Guitar Competitions. In the 1980s, a disabling
hand injury, focal dystonia, interrupted his performing career in mid-stream and plagued him
for 12 years. Through a pioneering approach to technique based on his understanding of
the physical aspects of playing the guitar, Leisner gradually rehabilitated himself. Now
completely recovered, he has once again resumed an active performing career, earning
accolades wherever he plays.
David Leisner's recent seasons have taken him around the US, including his solo debut with
the Atlanta Symphony, a major tour of Australia and New Zealand, and debuts and
reappearances in Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark,
Sweden, Ireland, the U.K., Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.
An innovative three-concert series at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, included the first
all-Bach guitar recital in New York’s history, and currently he is the Artistic Director of
Guitar Plus, a New York series devoted to chamber music with the guitar. In the US, he has
appeared on concert series in such notable venues as Boston's Jordan Hall and Gardner
Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Royce Hall in Los Angeles,
the Folly Theater in Kansas City, St. Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe, and New York's Weill
Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 92nd St. Y and Symphony Space.
A featured recording artist for Azica Records, Leisner has released 8 highly acclaimed solo
CD’s of music by Bach, Villa-Lobos, Mertz and Schubert, Contemporary composers, his
own compositions, Matiegka (“the Beethoven of the guitar”), an album of Favorites, and the
most recent, Facts of Life, featuring the premiere recordings of commissioned works by Del Tredici
and Golijov. Naxos released his recording of the Hovhaness Concerto with Gerard Schwarz
and the Berlin Radio Orchestra. His collaborations with Boston Symphony Orchestra flutist
Fenwick Smith have been recorded on the Etcetera and Koch labels, with music by Rorem
and Pinkham, and his most recent chamber music recordings of Hovhaness and Haydn are
with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis on Telarc and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival on
Koch. The Mel Bay company released a solo concert DVD called Classics and Discoveries.
Mr. Leisner has appeared as a soloist with many internationally renowned orchestras,
including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Australian Chamber
Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Chamber Ensemble, and
the Chamber Orchestra of New England. About his Piazzolla performance with the Atlanta
Symphony, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "the audience reacted in a frenzy that
nowadays, few Beethoven or Bruckner concerts can generate." Also in great demand as a
chamber musician, he has performed chamber music at the Santa Fe, Rockport, Vail Valley,
Cape and Islands, Bargemusic, Bay Chamber, Portland, Sitka and Angel Fire Festivals, with
Eugenia Zukerman, Kurt Ollmann, Lucy Shelton, Ida Kavafian, the St. Lawrence and
Vermeer Quartets, Zuill Bailey and many others.
Celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire, David Leisner has introduced many
important new works and has been a tireless advocate for neglected gems of the past. He has
premiered works by many important composers, including David Del Tredici, Virgil
Thomson, Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Sculthorpe and
Osvaldo Golijov. He was also a pioneer in the rediscovery of Johann Kaspar Mertz (18061856), whose music he recorded on The Viennese Guitar (Titanic) and edited for publication
by the Theodore Presser Company, as well as Wenzeslaus Matiegka (1773-1830), whose
music he recorded on an Azica CD.
Mr. Leisner has also become a highly respected composer noted for the emotional and
dramatic power of his music. Fanfare magazine described it as “rich in invention and
melody, emotionally direct, and beautiful”. Guitar Review wrote, “Not many composers
manage to be equally satisfying to the hands, the ear and the mind as Leisner has.” His
works have been performed worldwide by such eminent artists as Sanford Sylvan, Wolfgang
Holzmair, Kurt Ollmann, Thomas Meglioranza, Robert Osborne, Patrick Mason, William
Ferguson, Paul Sperry, Juliana Gondek, Susan Narucki, D'Anna Fortunato, Warren Jones,
Jon Klibonoff, Eugenia Zukerman, Zuill Bailey, David Starobin, Benjamin Verdery, Cavatina
Duo, Arc Duo, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Brasil Guitar Duo, St. Lawrence Quartet, Enso
Quartet, Rubens Quartet, Saturday Brass Quintet, the Eastman, Oberlin and New England
Conservatory Percussion Ensembles, and orchestras from coast to coast. His Dances in the
Madhouse, in both its original version for violin and guitar and as an arrangement for
orchestra, has received hundreds of performances. Leisner’s complete works for flute and
guitar have been recorded by the Cavatina Duo on the much acclaimed Acrobats album for
the Cedille label, and he himself recorded his complete solo guitar works on Self-Portrait for
Azica. Other works currently available on CD are on the SonyClassical, Dorian, Centaur,
Town Hall, Signum, Acoustic Music, ABC, Athena, Fleur de Son and Barking Dog labels.
Commissions and premieres include A Timeless Procession for baritone Wolfgang Holzmair
and string quartet, Das Wunderbare Wesen for Wolfgang Holzmair and cello, Of Darkness and
Light for the Stones River Chamber Players, Vision of Orpheus for the St. Lawrence String
Quartet and Leisner, Embrace of Peace for the Fairfield (CT) Orchestra, which was described
by the Westport News as reflecting "a brilliant intellect in combination with brilliant
sensitivity," and Battlefield Requiem for cellist Laurence Lesser and the New England
Conservatory Percussion Ensemble. He has received grants from the Aaron Copland Fund
for Music, the American Music Center, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, the New England
Foundation for the Arts, and Meet the Composer.
David Leisner is currently co-chairman of the guitar department at the Manhattan School of
Music and taught at the New England Conservatory for 22 years. His lively master classes
have been featured at such institutions as the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Northern
College of Music, Graz University, Yale University, USC, the Cleveland and Peabody
Institutes of Music, San Francisco and Cincinnati Conservatories, and many schools and
music festivals around the world. Mr. Leisner is a graduate of Wesleyan University.
Primarily self-taught as both guitarist and composer, he briefly studied guitar with John
Duarte, David Starobin and Angelo Gilardino and composition with Richard Winslow, Virgil
Thomson, Charles Turner and David Del Tredici.
www.davidleisner.com
550-word bio
David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as an electrifying
performing artist, a distinguished composer, and a master teacher.
“Among the finest guitarists of all time”, according to American Record Guide, David Leisner's
career began auspiciously with top prizes in both the 1975 Toronto and 1981 Geneva International
Guitar Competitions. His recent seasons have taken him around the US, including his solo debut
with the Atlanta Symphony, a major tour of Australia and New Zealand, and debuts and
reappearances in Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden,
Ireland, the U.K., Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. An innovative
three-concert series at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall included the first all-Bach guitar recital in
New York’s history, and currently he is the Artistic Director of Guitar Plus, a New York series
devoted to chamber music with the guitar. He has also performed chamber music at the Santa Fe,
Vail Valley, Rockport, Cape and Islands, Bargemusic, Bay Chamber, Portland, Sitka and Angel Fire
Festivals, with Eugenia Zukerman, Kurt Ollmann, Lucy Shelton, Ida Kavafian, Zuill Bailey, the St.
Lawrence, Vermeer and Enso Quartets, Zuill Bailey and many others. Celebrated for expanding the
guitar repertoire, David Leisner has premiered works by many important composers, including David
Del Tredici, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Sculthorpe
and Osvaldo Golijov, while spearheading the revival of neglected 19th-century composers J.K. Mertz
and Wenzeslaus Matiegka.
A featured recording artist for Azica Records, Leisner has released 8 highly acclaimed solo CDs,
including the most recent, Facts of Life, featuring the premiere recordings of commissioned works by
Del Tredici and Golijov. Naxos produced his recording of the Hovhaness Concerto with Gerard
Schwarz and the Berlin Radio Orchestra. Other CDs include the Koch recording of Haydn Quartet in
D with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Hovhaness Spirit of Trees for Telarc with harpist
Yolanda Kondonassis. And Mel Bay Co. released a solo concert DVD called Classics and Discoveries.
Mr. Leisner is also a highly respected composer noted for the emotional and dramatic power of his
music. Fanfare magazine described it as “rich in invention and melody, emotionally direct, and
beautiful”. South Florida Classical Review called him “an original and arresting compositional voice.”
Recent commissioners include the baritone Wolfgang Holzmair, Arc Duo, Stones River Chamber
Players (TN), Fairfield Orchestra (CT), Red Cedar Chamber Music (IA), and the Twentieth Century
Unlimited Series (NM). Recordings of his works are currently available on the Sony Classical, ABC,
Dorian, Azica, Cedille, Centaur, Town Hall, Signum, Acoustic Music, Athena and Barking Dog
labels. The Cavatina Duo’s recording of his complete works for flute and guitar, Acrobats (Cedille)
was released to exceptionally strong reviews. His compositions are mostly published by Merion
Music/Theodore Presser Co., as well as AMP/G. Schirmer, Doberman-Yppan and Columbia Music.
David Leisner is currently the co-chair of the guitar department at the Manhattan School of Music.
He taught for over two decades at the New England Conservatory and is in demand as a master class
teacher worldwide. Primarily self-taught as both guitarist and composer, he briefly studied guitar
with John Duarte, David Starobin and Angelo Gilardino and composition with Richard Winslow,
Virgil Thomson, Charles Turner and David Del Tredici.
www.davidleisner.com
400-word bio
David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as an
electrifying performing artist, a distinguished composer, and a master teacher. “Among the
finest guitarists of all time”, according to American Record Guide, Leisner is a featured
recording artist for the Azica label, with 8 highly acclaimed solo CDs, including the most recent,
Facts of Life, featuring the premiere recordings of commissioned works by Del Tredici and Golijov.
Other recordings are on the Naxos, Telarc and Koch labels, with a concert DVD published
by Mel Bay. David Leisner's recent seasons have taken him around the US, a major tour of
Australia and New Zealand, and debuts and reappearances in Japan, the Philippines,
Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the U.K., Italy, Czech
Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. An innovative three-concert series at
Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall included the first all-Bach guitar recital in New York’s
history, and he is currently Artistic Director of Guitar Plus, a New York series devoted to
chamber music with the guitar. Celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire, David Leisner
has premiered and commissioned works by many important composers, including David Del
Tredici, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter
Sculthorpe and Osvaldo Golijov, while spearheading the revival of neglected 19th-century
composers J.K. Mertz and Wenzeslaus Matiegka. He has performed at the Santa Fe,
Rockport, Vail Valley, Bargemusic, Bay Chamber, Cape Cod and Islands, Portland, Sitka and
Angel Fire chamber music festivals.
Mr. Leisner is also a highly respected composer noted for the emotional and dramatic power
of his music. Fanfare magazine described it as “rich in invention and melody, emotionally
direct, and beautiful”. His music has been performed worldwide by such eminent artists as
Sanford Sylvan, Wolfgang Holzmair, Thomas Meglioranza, Patrick Mason, Robert Osborne,
William Ferguson, Paul Sperry, Juliana Gondek, Susan Narucki, D’Anna Fortunato, Zuill
Bailey, Warren Jones, Jon Klibonoff, Eugenia Zukerman, David Starobin, Benjamin
Verdery, St. Lawrence Quartet, Enso Quartet, Rubens Quartet, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet,
Cavatina Duo, Arc Duo, Brasil Guitar Duo, Pearl and Gray Duo, Saturday Brass Quintet,
the Eastman, Oberlin and New England Conservatory Ensembles, as well as orchestras
around the US. An extensive discography includes the much-praised Cedille CD, Acrobats,
performed by the Cavatina Duo, and his compositions are published mostly by Theodore
Presser Co. Recent works and commissions include Das Wunderbare Wesen for baritone
Wolfgang Holzmair and solo cello, A Timeless Procession for Holzmair and string quartet,
Vision of Orpheus for the St. Lawrence Quartet and Leisner, Embrace of Peace for the Fairfield
Orchestra, and Battlefield Requiem for cellist Laurence Lesser and the New England
Conservatory Percussion Ensemble. A distinguished teacher as well, Leisner is currently cochairman of the guitar department at the Manhattan School of Music.
www.davidleisner.com
200-word bio
David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as an
electrifying performing artist, a distinguished composer, and a master teacher. “Among
the finest guitarists of all time”, according to American Record Guide, Leisner is a
featured recording artist for the Azica label, with 8 highly acclaimed solo recordings.
Other recordings are on the Naxos, Telarc and Koch labels, with a concert DVD
published by Mel Bay. David Leisner's recent seasons have taken him around the US,
including his solo debut with the Atlanta Symphony, a major tour of Australia and New
Zealand, and debuts and reappearances in Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary,
Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the U.K., Italy, Czech Republic,
Greece, Puerto Rico and Mexico. A frequent performer of chamber music, he has
performed at the Santa Fe, Rockport, Cape and Islands, Vail Valley, Bargemusic, Bay
Chamber, Portland, Sitka and Angel Fire Chamber Music Festivals. In New York he is
the Artistic Director of Guitar Plus, an innovative series devoted to chamber music with
the guitar. His own compositions, noted for their emotional and dramatic power, are
performed, recorded and published worldwide. A distinguished teacher as well, Leisner
is currently co-chairman of the guitar department at the Manhattan School of Music.
www.davidleisner.com
150-word bio
David Leisner has a multi-faceted career as an electrifying performing artist, distinguished
composer and master teacher. “Among the finest guitarists of all time” (American Record
Guide), his superb musicianship and provocative programming have been applauded by
critics and audiences around the globe. He has recorded CDs for the Azica, Naxos, Telarc,
Koch and Etcetera labels, and a solo concert DVD on the Mel Bay label. David Leisner's
recent seasons have taken him around the US, including his solo debut with the Atlanta
Symphony, a major tour of Australia and New Zealand, and debuts and reappearances in
Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland,
the U.K., Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico and Mexico. His own compositions,
noted for their emotional and dramatic power, have been performed, recorded and
published worldwide. Leisner is also co-chairman of the guitar department at the Manhattan
School of Music.
www.davidleisner.com
500-word composer bio
Fanfare magazine described the music of David Leisner as “rich in invention and
melody, emotionally direct, and beautiful”. Guitar Review wrote, “Not many composers
manage to be equally satisfying to the hands, the ear and the mind as Leisner has.”
His music has been performed worldwide by such eminent artists as Sanford Sylvan,
Wolfgang Holzmair, Kurt Ollmann, Robert Osborne, William Ferguson, Paul Sperry,
Juliana Gondek, Susan Narucki, D’Anna Fortunato, Zuill Bailey, Warren Jones, Jon
Klibonoff, Eugenia Zukerman, David Starobin, Benjamin Verdery, St. Lawrence String
Quartet, Enso Quartet, Rubens Quartet, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Cavatina Duo, Arc
Duo, Brasil Guitar Duo, Pearl and Gray Duo, Saturday Brass Quintet, the Eastman,
Oberlin and New England Conservatory Percussion Ensembles, and orchestras such as
the Fresno Philharmonic and the Springfield (MA and MO) and Amarillo Symphonies.
Dances in the Madhouse, in its original version for violin/flute and guitar and as an
arrangement for orchestra, has received hundreds of performances. Leisner’s complete
works for flute and guitar have been recorded by the Cavatina Duo on the much
acclaimed Acrobats album for the Cedille label, and he himself recorded his complete
solo guitar works on Self-Portrait for Azica. Other works currently available on CD are
on the SonyClassical, Dorian, Centaur, Town Hall, Signum, Acoustic Music, ABC,
Athena, Fleur de Son and Barking Dog labels.
Works and commissions include Ghosting for the Brasil Guitar Duo, Twilight Streams for
cellist Zuill Bailey and Leisner, Three James Tate Songs for baritone Patrick Mason and
David Starobin, Das Wunderbare Wesen for baritone Wolfgang Holzmair and solo cello,
A Timeless Procession for baritone Holzmair and string quartet, Of Darkness and Light
for the Stones River Chamber Players, Vision of Orpheus for the St. Lawrence Quartet
and Leisner (20th Century Unlimited series), Embrace of Peace for the Fairfield
Orchestra, Battlefield Requiem for solo cellist Laurence Lesser and the New England
Conservatory Percussion Ensemble, Fidelity for tenor Bruce Fowler, baritone Robert
Osborne and pianist Warren Jones, The Cat that Walked by Himself for the Los Angeles
Guitar Quartet, and Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam for the Saturday Brass Quintet.
He has received composition grants from the American Music Center, the Alice M.
Ditson Fund, the New England Foundation for the Arts and Meet the Composer. His
works are published by Theodore Presser Co., G. Schirmer, Doberman-Yppan, Frederick
Harris Music and Columbia Music.
David Leisner also maintains a busy career as a concert guitarist, performing in recital
and as a soloist with orchestras around the world. Winner of top prizes in international
guitar competitions at Geneva and Toronto, he is a featured solo artist with Azica
Records, and has recorded chamber music on the Telarc, Koch and Etcetera labels, and
concertos for Naxos and Opus One. Leisner is currently the co-chair of the guitar
department at the Manhattan School of Music and also taught at the New England
Conservatory for 22 years. A regular composition juror for the BMI Student Composer
Awards, he has also been a juror for the New York Youth Symphony’s First Works
commissions. A graduate of Wesleyan University, he studied composition with Richard
Winslow, Virgil Thomson, Charles Turner and David Del Tredici.
www.davidleisner.com