Music professor hailed as ‘a leader of contemporary American lyricism’
His compositions, including four symphonies, 10 concertos and three oratorios, have been performed by more than 50 orchestras worldwide in hundreds of orchestral concerts.
By Jan Lucas on November 7, 2016
Towson University is home to Jonathan Leshnoff, one of our nation’s most gifted and prolific young composers.
Classical music lovers—and new-music aficionados in particular—have long admired Leshnoff. For those not yet in the know, he’s the extraordinary talent behind some of the most innovative, transcendent music being performed today.
A professor of music in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC), Leshnoff has produced a body of work that has already earned him a place in the pantheon of contemporary American composers—a remarkable achievement for a man in his early 40s.
His compositions, including four symphonies, 10 concertos and three oratorios, have been performed by more than 50 orchestras worldwide in hundreds of orchestral concerts. He’s received commissions from Carnegie Hall and from orchestras in cities around the United States, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Buffalo and Philadelphia.
During the 2016/17 season, Leshnoff’s work will be performed by symphony orchestras and other musical ensembles throughout the United States.
Praise for Leshnoff has been unstinting. The New York Times has described him as “a leader of contemporary American lyricism.” The Washington Post recognized him as one of the “gifted young composers” of this generation. Strings magazine has hailed his music as “distinct from anything else that’s out there.” The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) named him one of the top 10 most performed living composers in the 2015/16 season.
Read about "Dark Bells" in the Baltimore Sun
In keeping with the spirit of Halloween, the Reading Symphony Orchestra, with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society and guest performer and BSO violist Peter Minkler, performed Leshnoff’s “Dark Bells” on October 30. “The Fort Wayne Philharmonic originally commissioned "Dark Bells" for orchestra, choir and viola,” Leshnoff explains. “I was asked to compose a work that evoked the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
“I’m very happy that 'Dark Bells' came to Baltimore,” he adds. “The city is not only my home, but Poe’s as well.”
On October 26 the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under music director Robert Spano, released a recording of Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 2 on the Naxos American Classic label. It marks the fourth album of his work to date.
“Robert Spano has long been a supporter of new music,” Leshnoff says. “He believed in my music enough to record it; he understands my music with remarkable clarity.”
"The strengths of 'Dark Bells' are considerable - read the Baltimore Sun's review
Leshnoff is a full-time teacher and scholar in addition to busy composer. A member of the Department of Music faculty since 2001, he’s grateful to TU “for always being behind me and giving me room to grow.” He says teaching orchestration here has given him the opportunity—and joy—of being able to ignite students’ interest in the subject.
In 2013 Leshnoff received a University of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Award in the category of scholarship, research or creative activity.
Jonathan Leshnoff's Latest Release
The full-length all-Leshnoff CD of Symphony No. 2 and oratorio, "Zohar."
The choral parts of "Zohar" were performed by the mighty 180-member Atlanta Symphony Choir, founded by Robert Shaw. "Zohar" was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and was given its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall on April 30, 2016—Robert Shaw’s 100th birthday.