Brandon Leonard

Biography

Brandon Leonard is a sixteen-year-old 11th grader at Chamblee Charter High School in Chamblee, Georgia. He began playing the cello in the fourth grade at Kittredge Magnet School in Atlanta. Brandon has attended summer music camps at the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival, the Tanglewood Junior Strings Intensive program, and the Center Stage Strings program at the University of Michigan. Brandon was a participant in the 2017-2020 GMEA All State Orchestras. He served as principal cellist in 2017 and 2019 for the GMEA All State Middle School Orchestras and was principal in 2020 for the High School Orchestra. He was the 2018- 2019 principal cellist for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO). He was also a recipient of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 MYSO Scholarship Awards.

Currently, Brandon is a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra (ASYO). In 2020, Brandon received 2nd prize in the National Sphinx Competition Jr. Division and the Center Stage Strings Young Artist Solo Competition. He also received 1st place in the Georgia Philharmonic Samuel Fordis Young Artists Competition and the Hilton Head Concerto Competition. Most recently, he has been selected as a finalist in the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition in North Carolina. He enjoys the piano which he has been playing for about nine years. Brandon is an honor student and participates on his school's academic bowl team. In church, Brandon participates in the youth ministry and serves as a youth usher. He is a member of the Decatur Alumni Chapter Kappa League. Brandon enjoys playing board games, trivia, watching TV shows from the 70s/80s and listening to music.