Profile

Neil Leonard a composer, saxophonist, and interdisciplinary artist. His compositions and performances have been featured by Carnegie Hall, Havana Jazz Festival, International Computer Music Convention, Tel Aviv Biennial for New Music, Moscow Autumn, and Museo Reina Sofia. Leonard’s “Dreaming of an Island” (for orchestra, electronics and live-video), was premiered by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and he has collaborated with artists Marshall Allen, Juan Blanco, Joanne Brackeen, Don Byron, Uri Caine, Robin Eubanks, Bill Frisell, Vijay Iyer, Phill Niblock, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Evan Ziporyn, and many others.  Leonard’s collaborations with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons have included film/video, multimedia installation, and public intervention, and their work has been featured by the Museum of Modern Art, 49th/55th Venice Biennial, Havana Biennale, Guangzhou Triennial, and the Dak’art Biennale of Contemporary African Art.  Leonard contributed sound to Tony Oursler’s performance “Relatives” that was presented at the Whitney Biennial. Leonard’s recent sound/video installation “True Bread” explores aspects of exile, censorship, global capitalism, and transformation of urban sound. Holland Cotter described the piece in the The New York Times as “a haunting, rhythmic, chant like score, secular spiritual music for a New World.” Leonard is Professor of Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music and the Artistic Director of the Berklee Interdisciplinary Arts Institute. Leonard is presently on the Fulbright Specialist roster.

At ACT, Leonard has developed interdisciplinary curriculum and investigated approaches to collective sound works with ACT faculty, staff, and students from MIT and the Berklee Interdisciplinary Arts Institute.  He lectured in ACT’s Sound Installations and Sonic Interventions course in Spring 2014 along with visiting artists Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner) and Stephen Vitiello.