Biography
Leora Cohen is a British-American violinist. She enjoys a diverse career, performing as a recitalist, soloist and ensemble musician around the world. Leora graduated with a double first class (summa cum laude) from Cambridge University and has been awarded two Diplomas with Distinction by the Royal College of Music in London. Previous professors include Remus Azoitei, Ani Schnarch and Alexander Gilman.
Leora made her debut at 16, performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole at St John’s Smith Square in London. Before graduating from high school, she went on to perform a number of concertos and pieces by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Sarasate with London-based orchestras. During her studies at Cambridge, she appeared regularly as a soloist with student orchestras, covering a considerable amount of the Baroque repertoire for solo violin and orchestra. In early 2020, she performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at Cambridge’s main concert hall and was a finalist in the Sir Karl Jenkins Music Competition. During the pandemic, Leora appeared on the Violin Channel in recordings and live performances, including a masterclass with Michael Vaiman playing Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1.
Whilst studying at the Royal College, Leora was a member of the LGT Young Soloists, performing regularly to the Liechtenstein Royalty at their private functions and palaces internationally. With this group, she was also chosen as soloist to open the 2022 Heidelberg Festival, playing Kreisler’s Alt Wiener Tanzweisen. In her final year at the Royal College, Leora was soloist with the College’s Symphony Orchestra, playing Mendelssohn in a public, live-streamed masterclass with Maxim Vengerov.
Since graduating, she has become a regular soloist with the Albion Chamber Orchestra and the Piccadilly Sinfonietta in London.
Leora performs recitals across the UK with Paul Wingfield and Germany with Parvis Hejazi and in Fira Duo with flautist, Liz Meyer. Her creative and unique concert-programming has resulted in a notable enthusiasm for performing recitals. She has endeavoured to include music by female and under-represented composers at every opportunity, expanding her repertoire significantly. Leora also has a distinct approach to, and passion for, contemporary music that is respected by many composers, who have written and dedicated music to her. Leora was a chamber music award holder at Cambridge University and has played chamber music on BBC Radio, and at the prestigious London venues Kings Place and Wigmore Hall.
Leora is a prominent concert master of her generation, taking up her first posts at a young age, leading concerts with the National Children’s Orchestra and the Royal College Junior Department orchestras. She is also a former concert master of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, of the Royal College Symphony Orchestra and of the Cambridge University Orchestra, leading orchestral concerts with significant concertmaster solos under the baton of many renowned conductors, such as John Wilson, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Antonio Pappano, Jac van Steen and Thomas Adés, and collaborating with soloists, such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Guy Johnson, Alim Beisembayev and Tom Poster.
As a teenager, Leora was praised for her orchestral leading by distinguished music journalists and concert critics, being described as a leader that “really impressed” and playing solos that were “ a particular delight”. During her concert-master walk onto the stage and bow at the 2017 BBC Proms, Leora was introduced by Suzi Klein live on BBC Radio and television as “a brilliant player with a very bright future ahead of her”. She has continued to receive positive acclaim for her numerous concertmaster appearances in major concert halls globally, on international radio channels and global concert series such as Festival Berlioz.
During her studies, Leora also appeared alongside the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. She currently takes on extra work with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, Brandenburg Sinfonia and Chineke! and leads the Hapax Orchestra.
