Leslie Hitelman
Renowned for her pure musical ability and invigorating talent, Leslie Hitelman dazzles audiences around the globe with her brilliant piano performances. Blessed with transcendental technique, Ms. Hitelman perpetually astounds her listeners and continues to draw critical acclaim. Leslie comes from a family of celebrated pianists and pedagogues who share a very high standard of excellence. Since childhood, Leslie has been a prodigious award-winning talent. She was named a regional winner of the Kiwanis Club’s “Stars of Tomorrow” competition and performed masterfully at the Winner’s Concert. She soloed with the Arapahoe Philharmonic as the winner of their Concerto Competition and was also state champion of the Music Teachers National Association. She went on to win the Fiske Scholarship for musical study at the University of Colorado’s College of Music, and worked with noted Beethoven scholar Peter Amstutz. After being awarded the top honor of the George Szell full scholarship, Leslie studied at the Mannes College of Music in New York City with Jeanette Haien and Diane Walsh, receiving both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance.
During her accomplished career, she has taken the stage at such prestigious locations as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, where she debuted in 1989. She has also had the honor of playing on numerous occasions for the Mayor of New York City at the Gracie Mansion. She soloed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, playing the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. During her global tour, she wowed audiences in Italy and Delhi, India, followed by a recent trip to China where she gave solo recitals in Harbin and Qingdao and two master classes in Harbin. In May 2009, Ms. Hitelman's European tour will take her to Arnstadt, Germany. Leslie Hitelman's fame has also brought her to the air-waves, where she performed on classical radio station KVOD in Denver.
A gifted and engaging performer, composer and piano teacher, Leslie continues to be at the forefront of musical excellence and innovation. She presents rare musical showcases where the audience is transported through time through her brilliant performances and pedagogic approach. Awarded “Composer of the Year” in 2007 by the Musicians' Society of Denver, Leslie taps into her creative verve with such compositions as “Green” and “Dance of the Three Figures”. Leslie has been passing on her expertise and enthusiasm to a new generation of musicians in her private studio and for the past 7 years, at the Middlesex School in Concord, MA. She also serves on the board of the MA Music Teachers Association as Chair of the Composition Competition.
Ms. Hitelman passionately commits herself to bringing harmony and enrichment to communities through music and the arts. Using music as a natural ambassador of peace, Leslie feels a deep-rooted responsibility to enrich and strengthen the global community and dedicates her performances to this cause. Noting that the first public organized response to 9/11 was a performance of the NY Philharmonic of the Brahms Requiem, Ms. Hitelman firmly believes in the unifying role of musicians in today's world, performing for her family, community, country, Earth and beyond.