Flutist, educator, and musical curator Leo Sussman grew up playing chamber music in living rooms and gigging with a salsa band in San Francisco. Now based in Ithaca, NY, he delights in engaging audiences, mentoring students, and producing community-based arts projects.

As a performer, Leo loves nothing better than curating provocative programs and bringing new music to life. An experienced Teaching Artist, he also leads creative music-making residencies and designs interactive chamber music performances.

Prior to relocating to the Finger Lakes, Leo was on faculty at DePauw University and completed a two-year chamber music fellowship with Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect. In his spare time he enjoys trail running and fiddling around with his own electroacoustic experiments.

Leo earned bachelor’s degrees in flute and physics at Lawrence University, a master’s at Yale, and doctorate at Manhattan School of Music, where his research examined the depiction and performance of monstrosity in instrumental music. His principal flute teachers include Linda Chesis, Ransom Wilson, Erin Lesser, and Leslie Chin.