Ronald Leonard is an American cellist. [1] He has had a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, principal cellist and teacher. He is currently on the faculties of the USC Thornton School of Music and the Colburn School. He was a winner of the Walter Naumburg Competition while a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Leonard Rose and Orlando Cole.
His first professional position was as a cellist in the Cleveland Orchestra, where he sat on the second stand. Two years later Mr. Leonard became principal cellist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and at that time began teaching at the Eastman School of Music. He taught at Eastman for 17 years, spent one year as cellist of the Vermeer Quartet, and then was appointed principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a post he held for 24 years. During this time, he soloed frequently with the orchestra.
During this entire period he has been very active as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Conducting is his most recent activity; Mr. Leonard is the conductor of the Colburn School Chamber Orchestra and he has been very involved at the USC Thornton School of Music, working with the string sections of both the USC Thornton Symphony and the USC Thornton Chamber Orchestra.
From 1993 to 2003, he held the prestigious post of "Gregor Piatigorsky Endowed Chair in Violoncello " at the USC Thornton School of Music. He was only third person to ever hold the position, following Piatigorsky himself and Lynn Harrell (1986–1993). He is known internationally as, “one of the better ‘cellists originally from Rhode Island”.
Julius Baker was one of the foremost American orchestral flute players. During the course of five decades he concertized with several of America's premier orchestral ensembles including the Chicago Symphony and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lynn Harrell was an American classical cellist. Known for the "penetrating richness" of his sound, Harrell performed internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with major orchestras over a career spanning nearly six decades.
John Marcellus is a trombone musician and teacher. He was Professor of Trombone at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, and past Chair of the Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion Department. In addition to his trombone teaching responsibilities at Eastman, Dr. Marcellus was the conductor of the Eastman Trombone Choir, Eastman Bionic Bones, and the trombonist with the Eastman Brass. Dr. Marcellus joined the faculty of the Eastman School in 1978, and was named the Kilbourn Professor from 1982 to 1983. He succeeded the trombonist and teacher, Emory Remington, who served as Professor of Trombone at Eastman close to 50 years. Professor Marcellus retired in 2014 after 36 years at Eastman.
Robert DeMaine is an American virtuoso cellist, best known as Principal Cello of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Nathaniel "Nick" Rosen is an American cellist, the gold medalist of the 1978 International Tchaikovsky Competition, and former faculty member at the USC Thornton School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.
Eli Eban is an Israeli-American clarinetist and son of the late Israeli diplomat Abba Eban.
Ralph Henry Kirshbaum is an American cellist. His award-winning career combines the worlds of solo performance, chamber music, recording and pedagogy.
Eleonore Schoenfeld was an American musician, considered one of the most influential cellists of the 20th century.
Timothy Hutchins is a Canadian classical flute player.
Cynthia Phelps is an American violist whose versatile career involves work as a chamber musician, solo artist, and orchestral musician. Phelps is currently the Principal Violist of the New York Philharmonic, a position to which she was appointed in 1992.
Daniel George Lewis was an American orchestral conductor and University Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California (USC).
Andrew Shulman is an English virtuoso cellist, conductor and composer. He is currently the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and maintains his cello studio at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, California.
Steven Doane is an American cellist, professor and recitalist.
Lorne Munroe was an American cellist. He was principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1951 to 1964 and principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic from 1964 to 1996. He was a featured soloist more than 150 times during the 32 seasons he played for the New York Philharmonic. His last performance with the orchestra as a member of the ensemble was on February 27, 1996; although he later returned as a guest artist.
Jeffrey Solow is an American cellist.
JoAnn Turovsky is a harpist, professor, and harp teacher in Los Angeles, California. She is a faculty member at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. She also serves on the faculty at the Music Academy of the West. She is principal harpist with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She has recorded for numerous motion pictures and television shows as a studio musician, and was featured as a soloist in the soundtracks for Angela's Ashes and The Book Thief. She played on the soundtrack for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In 2015, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Harp Society.
Carlos Antonio Pini OBE was a cellist, known as a soloist, orchestral section leader and chamber musician. He was principal cellist of five major British orchestras between 1932 and 1976, and a teacher at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Leone Buyse was the Joseph and Ida K. Mullen Professor of Flute and Chair of Woodwinds at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. Prior to a full-time career teaching, Buyse spent over 22 years as an orchestral flutist, including a decade from 1983-1993 as Principal Flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops Orchestra. Other orchestral positions include Rochester Philharmonic as solo piccolo and second flute, and assistant principal of San Francisco Symphony. In addition to the Shepherd School, she has held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory, Boston University, University of Michigan, as visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music and numerous summer festivals including the Tanglewood Institute. Her primary teachers include Marcel Moyse, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Michel Debost and Joseph Mariano.
Moni Simeonov is a Bulgarian violinist.