Andrew Leonard

guitarist

Andrew Leonard’s solo guitar concerts bring music from all over the world to any stage he is performing on. His performances often include music from Spain, South America and Turkey, classical music from the Romantic and Baroque eras and folk inspired music from the United States. He has been called “a guitar phenomenon” by the Portland Phoenix of Maine, named “critics choice” by the Hartford Advocate, Connecticut, “critic’s pick” by Lexington, Kentucky’s Ace Weekly and hailed by Northeast Performer for his “inspiring…effortless style.”

Andrew’s concert schedule has taken him throughout the country, from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine. For the past five years, he has toured with Grammy Award winning steel string guitar virtuoso Doug Smith. He spent the Millennium performing in Geneva, Switzerland. One of Andrew’s most memorable performances was a crossover appearance on the Acoustic Guitar Master’s Series. The series, located in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, features the country’s finest steel string and bluegrass guitarists. He is the only classically trained guitarist ever to be invited to perform on this series.

Andrew has two recordings, A World of Guitar Music and Music of the Ages. His debut recording, Music of the Ages was featured as release of the month on WGTS radio in Maryland and both recordings have received airplay throughout the country on National Public Radio affiliates.

After his violin was "mysteriously crushed", at age twelve, Andrew received his first guitar and a Led Zeppelin songbook. Several years and many failed garage rock bands later Andrew began studying classical guitar when he was 16. A year later, he received an award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. Since then, he has a Master of Music Degree from Yale University where he was the recipient of the Rosoff Award and was a Yale Club of New Haven Fellow.

In addition to his performing career, Andrew enjoys teaching guitar to students of varied ages. Andrew runs the guitar program at the University of Kentucky's School of Music where he works with music majors preparing them for a career in music. Andrew has performed and taught at the National Guitar Workshop’s Classical Guitar Summit alongside many of the classical guitar world’s most recognized names including Pepe Romero and Manuel Barrueco. Previously, Andrew taught at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. As an Instructor for the Childbloom Guitar Program, he teaches guitarists ages 5-12.