LAURA LEON BIO
Laura gave the North American Premiere of Masha's Arigato: Warsaw to Japan (1939-1941), a solo piano work composed by Nina Leon, on August 25, 2024 at a private event on NYC. It is an expression of gratitude to the heroic WW II Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara and the people of Japan and a tribute to her mother Masha Leon--from her 3 daughters. The World Premiere of Masha's Arigato: Warsaw to Japan (1939-1941) was given by pianist Ms. Nobue Douda in Tsuruga, Japan on the same day at the Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum in Tsuruga, Japan.
The original version of Masha's Arigato had its World Premiere on December 3, 2020 by Ms. Douda, on the occasion of the Port of Humanity Tsuruga Museum's reopening ceremony. Laura gave the North American premiere of the original work on October 12, 2022 at a NYC event hosted by Japanese Ambassador Mikio Mori in honor of Takanobu Fuchikami, the Honorable Mayor of Tsuruga City, Japan.
She was honored to perform solo piano works by Peter Schickele at the 2013 Classical Recording Foundation Gala, founded by the late Grammy award-winning classical producer and recording engineer Adam Abeshouse, at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. Mr. Schickele received CRF's 2013 Composer of the Year Award presented by WNYC's John Schaefer, followed by a special four-hand performance with the composer. Her performances was in conjunction with the Musical Tapestries Inc. release of Morning Music: Piano Works by Peter Schickele and P.D.Q. Bach the following year.
She produced and performed in Mr. Schickele's 75th birthday concert at Steinway Hall on March 29, 2011, emceed by renowned WQXR and WFUV radio host Robert Sherman and a distinguished roster of musicians including trumpeter Caleb Hudson, violinist Joan Plana and pianist Martha Locker.
She has collaborated with violinist Colin Jacobsen, including a Tilles Center concert honoring Morton Gould, performing his Suite for Violin and Piano. Laura also performed the Suite with violinist Renee Jolles at an American Society for Jewish Music's Music In Our Time concert.
Laura's program in support of Heifer's International Bee Day included film composer Mark Isham's own piano arrangement from his film score "The Secret Life of Bees-Suite for Piano" which he made available exclusively for the occasion. She commissioned and premiered Steven Rosenhaus' Matilda Variations, honoring Australia at a concert at the NY Australian Consulate General with Australian soprano Lesley Pryde.
She was music director for the 2003 Emmy-award winning documentary The Hidden Life: The Story of the Sisters of St. Mary, produced and directed by Suzy Schechtman, which aired on PBS.
Laura's multimedia collaborations include the award-winning NY photographer Barry Rosenthal for the premiere of Found in Nature: Visualizing a Photographer's Compositions by Leo Kraft, with digital animator David Tennet at Yamaha's NY Piano Salon. This was followed by performances at Queens College's Two Places: NY and Prague in conjunction with Czech artist Anna Matoushkova's exhibition Place-Homage to Leo Kraft and at Mannes College of Music.
She premiered PRO.JECT as a 3-day multimedia event with composer Steven Rosenhaus, photographers Barry Rosenthal and Eric Jacobson and backdrop designer Sandro LeFerla at the Rosenthal-Jacobson Studio in NYC.
Laura has given numerous performances of Hugo Weisgall's heralded Yiddish song cycle The Golden Peacock, which include the renowned soprano Judith Raskin at Queens College, soprano Ena Freeman at the ASJM's Music In Our Time, and soprano Emily Duncan-Brown at a Center for Jewish History International Symposium.
Laura maintains a strong connection to 20th century American composers who set the compass for composition today. She received an Ed.D. in Music and Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University for her disseration on the songs and song cycles of distinguished American 20th century opera composer Hugo Weisgall. She studied with Morey Ritt and received her B.Mus. and M.A. in piano performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY.