Artist Biography

Leslie Newman, Flute

Leslie Newman made her professional debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18, performing Carl Nielsen's Flute Concerto under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. Since then, she has performed with orchestras throughout Canada, and in the U.S. and U.K.

She has appeared in recital in New York, Montreal, Chicago, Washington D.C., Taipei, and London's prestigious Wigmore Hall, where her two performances were broadcast live by the BBC's Radio 3. As guest Principal Flautist she has performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, the Halle Orchestra with Kent Nagano, the Bournemouth Symphony and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Festival appearances include Banff, Bogota, Salzburg, Sorrento, the Stratford International Flute Festival (UK) and the Oregon Bach Festival. Her debut CD, Beyond the Iron Curtain, released by CALA/United, was described by Gramophone Magazine as an "immensely worthwhile contribution to the catalogue." Her second CD, Opera Fantaisie, has just been released.

A native of Alberta, Leslie won First Prize in the Canadian National Competitive Festival of Music at the age of 17. Upon completion of her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto with teacher Douglas Stewart, she was awarded a prestigious Canada Council Grant to study with Thomas Nyfenger at Yale University. While still a student at Yale, Leslie won Top Prize in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's National Young Performers Competition. Following the completion of her Masters degree at Yale University, where she was named Outstanding Performance Major, Leslie moved to New York where she continued her studies with Julius Baker at the renowned Juilliard School.

Leslie lives in Toronto, where she performs regularly as soloist and chamber musician in addition to teaching at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music and the Glenn Gould Professional School.