San Francisco Electronic Music Festival

Cheryl Leonard

Cheryl E. Leonard is a composer, performer and instrument builder. Over the last decade she has focused on investigating sounds, structures and objects from the natural world. Leonard is fascinated by the subtle textures and intricacies of sounds. She uses microphones to explore micro-aural worlds hidden within her sound sources and develops compositions that highlight the unique voices they contain. Her projects often feature one-of-a-kind sculptural instruments that are played live onstage and field recordings from remote locales.

Leonard has received grants from the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, ASCAP, American Composers Forum, American Music Center, and the Eric Stokes Fund. Her commissions include works for Kronos Quartet and Illuminated Corridor. She has been awarded residencies at Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, Djerassi, Arctic Circle, and Villa Montalvo. Recordings of her music are available from NEXMAP, Unusual Animals, Pax, Evolving Door, Apraxia, 23 Five, and Great Hoary Marmot Music.

www.allwaysnorth.com