Dr. Jose Leonardo Leon
Dr. Jose Leonardo Leon
DMA,ÌýUniversity of Colorado Boulder
Assistant Professor of MusicÌý
Areas of Expertise
Trombone Studio, Arts & Performance Entrepreneurship
Email: leonj@fau.edu
Office Phone:Ìý561.297.3820
Dr. Jose Leonardo Leon is an internationally active trombonist, educator, author, and arts entrepreneur whose career bridges classical performance, commercial music, higher education, and creative arts leadership. Equally at home on bass and tenor trombone, Leon has established a multifaceted career spanning orchestral, chamber, solo, jazz, Latin, commercial, and studio performance throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
Leon currently serves as Assistant Professor of Trombone and Music Entrepreneurship at Â鶹ŮÀÉ, where he leads the Trombone Studio and founded the Arts Performance and Entrepreneurship Initiative within the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. He also serves as Principal Bass Trombone of Florida Grand Opera and the Symphony of the Americas.
In 2026, Leon was invited by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association to serve as Principal Trombone Faculty for the YOLA National Festival Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles. As the orchestra’s principal trombone faculty mentor, he worked with young musicians from El Sistema-inspired and community music programs across the United States through intensive orchestral training, sectionals, individual instruction, and mentorship. The residency culminated in a performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall, further extending Leon’s work at the intersection of high-level performance, pedagogy, mentorship, and community-centered music education.
As an artist-clinician and educator, Leon has presented at universities, conferences, and festivals nationally and internationally. He was a keynote presenter for the University of Florida’s Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship and a Headlining Artist-Clinician at the 2021 and 2023 International Trombone Festivals. His scholarship and educational work have appeared through the International Trombone Association Journal, the International Journal of Music Entrepreneurship & Leadership, the National Association for Music Education, and other professional and academic publications. He is also the author of The Art of Trombone Practice & Performance, edited and published by Dust & Ashes Publishing Co.
Leon’s recording and production work has earned international recognition, including three Global Music Awards® and participation as bass trombonist on Mamblue, recipient of the 2015 Latin GRAMMY® Award for Best Instrumental Album. His performance career has included appearances with internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles such as Andrea Bocelli, The Who, The Manhattan Transfer, Idina Menzel, Arturo Sandoval, Wycliffe Gordon, Paquito D’Rivera, Bob Mintzer, Eddie Daniels, Tony Succar, David Foster, and many others. His commercial and recording work has also included the PBS Great Performances national broadcast with the RaÃces Jazz Orchestra hosted by Sheila E.
A native of Venezuela, Leon earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Florida International University, Master of Music degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music. Dr. Jose Leonardo Leon is a Bach Brass International Artist and Clinician at Conn Selmer, and Artist in Residence for Hammond Design Mouthpieces. For more information, visit Dr. Leon's official website.
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