Biography
Leander Star is a French horn player and an award-winning chamber musician. In 2011, he performed with his wind quintet, The City of Tomorrow, at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, capturing the gold medal for wind chamber music. He has also performed with members of the Chicago Symphony in concerts with the Chicago Chamber Musicians. Other projects include performing with the Portland Cello Project on their Midwest Tour and with singer-songwriters Laura Gibson and Jason Anderson.
A player on the national orchestral scene, Leander Star has performed recently with the Civic Orchestra or Chicago under Maestro Riccardo Muti and Maestro Esa Pekka Salonen, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Boise Philharmonic, the Portland Opera Orchestra, and the Eugene Symphony. In the Pacific Northwest, Leander has held positions with the Portland Opera in the Parks Orchestra, the Astoria Music Festival Orchestra, the Vancouver Washington Symphony, the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, the Newport Symphony Orchestra, and the Rose City Chamber Orchestra.
As an avid educator, Leander has maintained private music studios and given seminars on brass playing in Chicago's north suburbs and throughout the west coast. If you are interested in private lessons, check out the "For Students" tab below.
Leander holds degrees in horn performance and literature from Northwestern University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers include Gail Williams, William Barnewitz, Jonathan Ring, Robert Ward, and William Stalnaker.
Happy New Year, 2012!
It seems like everyone I've spoken to is feeling optimistic about the coming year. I certainly am.
I've been asked to play with the Portland Opera for their upcoming production of Madama Butterfly and rehearsals have been going great! I've also been spending evenings coaching chamber music with the Oregon Pro Arte Youth Chamber Orchestra musicians. What great talent they possess and what a great reminder that chamber music is sometimes the ultimate challenge of musicianship! I look forward to seeing their progress and what they are capable of by their concert date in late February.
*Reminder!* This month and next are filling up with galas and fundraisers as tax time approaches. Please take time to support your favorite arts organization if you can!
PS Rumor has it that Elise and I will be joining the Portland Cello Project on their long national tour this spring. Shoot me a message and hopefully I'll see you in your town in April of May!!
Upcoming Performances in 2012
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Jan 19-20 | Appearances with the Portland Cello Project and indy music sensations Blind Pilot, in Astoria and Eugene, Oregon. See website for details. |
| Jan 28 | The Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra holds its annual Gala, Dinner, and Auction at the Downtown Marriot. This year, the PCSO will be playing movie soundtrack favorites-- the kind that we horn players LOVE to sink our teeth into! |
| Feb 3-11 | The Portland Opera presents Puccini's Madama Butterfly, with conductor Anne Manson. Tickets, beginning at $20 can be purchased at the Portland Opera box office and Ticketmaster outlets. More information at the Portland Opera website, http://www.portlandopera.org/ |
| Feb 17 | New Music at Willamette, the contemporary music series at Willamette University in Salem, OR, is presenting a very exciting concert including the Stravinski Octet and John Adams' Chamber Symphony. Details are not completely obvious on the website; the concert takes place on Friday, February 17th at 7:30pm, at the Rogers Music Center at Willamette University. |
| Feb 24-25 | The Boise Philharmonic presents a concert which looks into an era when russian culture strained against its regime and found a home in Hollywood. Eighteen-year-old Caroline Goulding plays concertos by Rózsa and Korngold and the orchestra performs the terrifying and electric Tenth Symphony by Dimitri Shostakovich. |
| Mar 2 | The Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra presents "Reviewing 3 Eras", a concert featuring Brahms' Tragic Overture, Op 81, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K 488 with pianist Susan DeWitt Smith, and the impudent 9th Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich. |
Welcome to the Studio!
Whether you are just a beginner or are coming back after years without playing, I can help guide your growth as a musician. I have prepared students for college auditions and coached winners for solo competitions. Most of all, I endeavor to impart lasting practice skills, deeper self-awareness, and great excitement about music and performing!
My teaching philosophy:
- Fundamentals are the key to success. Understanding and integrating basic principles of brass playing (including air-support, embouchure, and articulation) are the primary goals of most exercises.
- Lessons should be fun and full of experimentation. During lessons, there will be times when we improvise, try to make different noises on our instruments, and try out new ways of solving problems.
- Music can be understood instinctually and intellectually. Both are important to being a musician. During lessons we will improve the instinctual understanding of music by singing, listening, and exploring options of musical expression. Intellectual understanding will be deepened through study of music theory, composition, and historical performance-practice.
If you are interested in a trial lesson or have other questions, please feel free to email me at starlg@gmail.com or call me at (503) 964-3956. Below, you can read testimonials of past and current students.
Testimonials
"Leander was our son's first horn teacher. He 
was effortlessly patient and encouraging. He helped K. a lot with learning how to practice. He set up the lessons so there was always something really fun to do- a time to play with the horn and experiment with different sounds. He is a great role model for a young musician, combining a deep integrity and commitment to the instrument with a sense of playfulness and enjoyment. I would highly recommend him to other students and their families." -- Lisa, parent
"Coming back to playing the French horn after a 15 year break was very intimidating to me. However, I found Leander very patient and knowledgeable about teaching the horn. He provided me with lessons that were challenging and fun. I looked forward to my weekly lessons and really wanted to practice. His warm-up exercises were quick and the duets we did at the end of each lesson provided that added twist to the normal playing of the weekly work. I would recommend Leander to others and if I can get my own son or daughter to take up the French horn, I would be pleased if Leander was around to teach them also." --Jim, adult student
Bruce Broughton's Sonata for Horn and Piano, performed in 2010 with Nolan Pearson.
Alec Wilder's Sonata No. 1 for Horn and Piano, performed in 2009 with Kay Kim.
Also, check out this video of the City of Tomorrow giving the North American premiere of Franco Donatoni's "Blow"!
To contact me directly for performances, lessons, questions, or anything else, email StarLG@gmail.com or telephone 503-964-3956.
If you are inquiring about lessons for yourself or your child, please indicate in your message the instrument (French horn or trumpet) and skill level of the prospective student.
Thank you for your interest!