Ronald Leonard, Artistic Director

Ronald Leonard is well known as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and conductor, nationally and internationally.

Leonard was the Gregor Piatigorsky Professor of Cello at the University of Southern California, and chairman of the university’s string department. He is on the faculty of the Colburn School and conductor of the Colburn Chamber Orchestra. Leonard taught at the Eastman School of Music from 1957 until 1975. He has been a performing faculty member at the Marrowstone Festival, the Sarasota Music Festival, the Aspen Festival, Round Top Festival, the Johannesen International School of the Arts, the Australian Music Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival “Summer Fest” in La Jolla, California, and Musicorda.

Leonard was the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1975 until 1999, and has performed concertos with that orchestra under conductors including Zubin Mehta, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Carlo Maria Giulini, Andre Previn, Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Juilliard, Guarneri, Angeles, Mendelssohn, Borremeo, Chilingarian and American quartets.

Leonard is former president and a founding member of the Los Angeles Violoncello Society. He has been active in the American Cello Congress, including conducting the mass cello orchestra at the Sixth American Cello Congress in 2001.

Leonard’s achievements as a performer and teacher have been repeatedly recognized. In 2004, he received the Ramo Music Faculty Award for his contributions to music and education, the Thornton School of Music, the University of Southern California, and humanity. In 2000, he received the Chevalier du Violoncelle by the Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1996.

He joined Camerata New England as Artistic Director in 2009.