About
Conductor
Maestro Brenda Lynne Leach has received rave reviews as a dynamic and versatile conductor both in the USA and abroad. One reviewer wrote, “Her musical energy reflects her personality – passionate and full of life!” She has performed extensively in France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Russia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Ukraine, Canada, and the USA. Engagements have taken her to world-class stages from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC to the St. Petersburg Grand Philharmonic Hall in Russia. Ms. Leach has appeared as a Guest Conductor with orchestras including the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, the Bostonian Opera and Chamber Ensemble, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Kaliningrad Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Karelia State Symphony Orchestra (Russia), the Varna State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shumen Philharmonic, and the Pleven Philharmonic (Bulgaria) to name a few. She has performed in numerous prestigious music festivals as conductor and featured artist including those at Interlochen and Chautauqua, as well as internationally at the David Oistrakh Festival.
In the Boston area, Maestro Leach served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Boston Chamber Orchestra, a professional ensemble devoted to the performance of both classical repertoire and new music. Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe wrote “The Boston Chamber Orchestra played beautifully for conductor, Brenda Lynne Leach.” She served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Nashua Symphony Chorus and Orchestra (NH), the first woman to hold an artistic appointment with this ensemble. She has conducted numerous other ensembles including the Harvard University Classical Orchestra and Schola Cantorum, the Boston Coro di Camera, and the Moscow Boys Choir. She has been described as a conductor who “conquers by her musicality, nuance and flexibility.”
Organ Recitalist
A critically-acclaimed concert organist as well, Ms. Leach has performed solo recitals worldwide at such distinguished venues as St. Petersburg Grand Philharmonic Hall (Russia), Moscow Cathedral (Russia), Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris), Westminster Cathedral (London), St. George’s Cathedral (Jerusalem), Washington National Cathedral (DC), St. Patrick’s Cathedral (NYC), and the St. Petersburg Imperial Cappella Concert Hall (Russia). In addition to solo repertoire, she has performed chamber music, as well as many works with orchestra including the Poulenc Concerto in G Minor for Orchestra and Organ and the Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3. She has been a featured soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the South Dakota Symphony. Ms. Leach won the Premier Prix de Virtuosite and the Premier Prix d’Excellence avec Felicitations in the studio of Marie-Claire Alain at the Conservatoire de Rueil-Malmaison in France. Grammy-award winning concert organist, Marie-Claire Alain, described Ms. Leach as an artist who "displays brilliant technique and musicianship.”
Educator
The recipient of many artistic honors, Brenda Leach she has had great success in audience development, dramatically increasing audience size and community support with her ensembles. Maestro Leach is at home with a broad range of repertoire from pops to educational programming, classical masterworks to world premiers, oratorio to opera. Ms. Leach has presented lectures, workshops, and masterclasses, and has published widely on a variety of topics in music and the arts. She is active in creating unique artistic collaborations which bring music to diverse audiences. She has been a music professor at several institutions including Harvard University and Haverford College.
Education
Maestro Leach completed Post-Doctoral studies in Orchestral Conducting at the St. Petersburg Music Conservatory in Russia where she studied with Alexander Polishchuk. She also studied conducting with Neeme Jarvi and Sir David Willcocks. Ms. Leach holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Master of Education in the Arts from Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.