Neil Leonard
Professor, Artistic Director of the Interdisciplinary Arts Institute, Berklee College of Music
Neil Leonard is a composer, saxophonist, and transdisciplinary artist. Leonard's work includes concerts for ensembles with live electronics, audio/visual installation, and multimedia performance. He maintains active collaborations in Canada, Cuba, China, Brazil, Burundi, Italy, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, and across the US.
Upcoming presentations include an exhibition of Leonard’s installation, Matanzas Sound Map (created with Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons) - a newly acquired piece by the Tate Modern in England; performing the world premiere of Phill Niblock’s BLK+LND at Donaueschingen Music in Germany; and leading a group of leading local musicians in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Leonard compositions were featured by Carnegie Hall, documenta (Germany), IRCAM (France), Musicacustica (China), the International Computer Music Convention (Canada), the Tel Aviv Biennial for New Music (Israel), Moscow Autumn (Russia), Museo Reina Sofia (Spain), the Jazz Plaza International Festival (Cuba), and in NYC at Roulette, Experimental Intermedia Foundation, Issue Project Room, and Knitting Factory.
Leonard's installations have been featured by Mass MoCA, Williams College Museum of Art, Peabody Essex Museum, Media Lab at MIT, Havana Bienal (Cuba), Bienal de Bahia (Brazil). Large-scale installations and performances with Magdalena Campos, Fujiko Nakaya, Phill Niblock, and Tony Oursler were featured by MoMA, Tate Modern, documenta, Venice Biennale, Whitney Biennale. Leonard's ensemble featured Joanne Brackeen, Terence Blanchard, and Robin Eubanks. Leonard performed and recorded with Juan Blanco, Alvin Curran, Richard Devine, Vijay Iyer, Phill Niblock, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Robin Rimbaud (Scanner), Stephen Vitiello, Hal Wilner, and Amnon Wolman.
Leonard was a Sacatar Institute Fellow (2023), Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Artist-in-Residence (2016); Fulbright Specialist Award recipient (2016); M.I.T. Art, Culture, and Technology Research Affiliate. He is a Professor at the Berklee College of Music and the founding Artistic Director of the Berklee Interdisciplinary Arts Institute.
