David Leisner

Guitarist & composer

Acclaim

“David Leisner is a triple-threat performer...The delicacy of his artistry was ingratiating”

— The New York Times

“Leisner is among the finest guitarists performing”

— American Record Guide

David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as performing artist, composer and teacher. “Among the finest guitarists of all time” according to American Record Guide, he has an extensive discography on the Azica, Naxos, Telarc, Bright Shiny Things, Koch and Mel Bay labels. David Leisner has performed as a soloist throughout North America, Australasia and Europe. He is also a frequent guest at important chamber music festivals around the country.

Celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire, David Leisner has premiered works by David Del Tredici, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Sculthorpe, Osvaldo Golijov and others. He was a pioneer in the rediscovery of 19th-century guitar composers, Johann Kaspar Mertz and Wenzeslaus Matiegka.

Mr. Leisner is a highly respected composer, whose music Fanfare magazine described as “rich in invention and melody, emotionally direct and beautiful”. His works are performed, recorded and published worldwide. In 2023, the legendary guitarist Pepe Romero commissioned and premiered Wayfaring, a concerto for guitar and orchestra, at the Hamptons Festival in New York.

A distinguished teacher, Leisner has served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, teaches master classes around the world, and is a frequent adjudicator of international guitar competitions. His popular book, Playing with Ease, is published by Oxford University Press.