"A natural feel for melody"
Nicola Benedetti
"The sound of heavenly beauty"
Maxim Vengerov
"A brilliant player with a bright future ahead"
Suzi Klein
The Menuhin Tree
Dennis Evans
Full biography
Introduction and Education
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.
Soloist
Leora made her concerto debut at 16, performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole at St John’s Smith Square, London. Before graduating from high school, she went on to perform concertos by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Sarasate with London orchestras.
During her studies at Cambridge, she appeared regularly as a soloist with university orchestras, with a particular interest in Baroque repertoire. In 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, she also appeared on The Violin Channel in performances and recordings, including a masterclass with Michael Vaiman featuring Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto.
At the Royal College of Music, Leora joined the LGT Young Soloists, performing internationally for members of the Liechtenstein Royal Family at private functions and palaces. She was selected to open the 2022 Heidelberg Festival as soloist in Kreisler’s Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen, and later performed Mendelssohn with the RCM Symphony Orchestra in a live-streamed masterclass with Maxim Vengerov.
Since graduating, Leora has performed regularly as a soloist with the Albion Chamber Orchestra and Piccadilly Sinfonietta in London, and with a number of orchestras across the UK.
Collaborator
Leora is drawn to innovative recital programming and close collaboration with duo partners. Her imaginative approach led her to curate a series of live shows including a celebration of the late Carl Davis’s iconic Pride and Prejudice score. In recent years she has founded the Josef Chasyd Quartet and the folk band, Rhapsodic Roots. 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.
Orchestral playing
Leora is a prominent concertmaster of her generation, having taken up her first orchestral leadership posts at a young age. She is a former concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Royal College Symphony Orchestra and Cambridge University Orchestra, and has led concerts under conductors including John Wilson, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Antonio Pappano, Jac van Steen and Thomas Adès, collaborating with soloists such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Guy Johnston, Alim Beisembayev and Tom Poster.
Her orchestral leadership has received acclaim from leading music critics and broadcasters. At the 2017 BBC Proms, she was introduced live on BBC Radio and television by Suzi Klein as “a brilliant player with a very bright future ahead of her”. She has since appeared as concertmaster in major concert halls and international festivals, including Festival Berlioz.
Leora has also performed alongside the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Helsinki Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. She currently performs regularly with ensembles including Royal Northern Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra and Chineke!.
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