Tracy Leonard, Assistant Principal/Second Horn
Tracy Leonard moved to Naples in 1990 from Miami, where she performed with the New World Symphony for one year. Previously she traveled in the United States and Europe with tours of The King and I, Into the Woods and West Side Story. A native of New Jersey, Tracy earned her B.M. degree from Indiana University and her M.M. degree from the Juilliard School.
Tracy has performed with the Meridian Arts Ensemble, the National Orchestra of New York, the New York String Orchestra and the Jupiter Symphony. Tracy was on a leave of absence during the 1995-96 season to play for the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Tracy enjoys spending her spare time with her greyhound and playing tennis. She has been a member of the Naples Philharmonic since 1990.
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The facts:
I’m from New Jersey, and I went to school at Indiana University Bloomington, then Juilliard. I joined the Naples Philharmonic in 1990.
What has been your most memorable moment with the orchestra?
Every year since 1990, I requested to play Nielsen's Fourth Symphony. We finally performed it in 2017. If I wrote down all my memorable moments, it would take all day.
What inspired you to become a musician?
It was a feeling from the time I was very little. I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t in my head and a major part of my life. It seemed natural to be a musician and, if I hadn’t played the horn, it would have been another instrument.
What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
Definitely the fantastic musicians and people I get to work with.
What’s challenging about playing your instrument?
Emptying the water out of the horn. I can’t ever seem to find where it is.
What are your favorite compositions?
That’s a tough one. If I were stranded on a desert island, I would need the four Brahms symphonies.
What have you been listening to recently?
Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Chainsmokers, 311 and the Carpenters.
Are there other musicians in your immediate family?
They are all music lovers and played instruments when they were young.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Tennis, cooking, watching movies and doing stuff with Connie Francis (my greyhound).