Leon Burke III
Encyclopedia
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, singer, and conductor from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He began his musical studies at age 12 and by age 16 was conducting orchestras.
Personal life
Leon Burke III is a native St. Louisan, where he attended Mc Bride High School and John Burroughs SchoolJohn Burroughs School
Founded in 1923, John Burroughs School is a private, non-sectarian preparatory school with nearly 600 students in grades 7-12. Its 47.5 acre campus is located in Ladue, Missouri , an affluent suburb of Saint Louis. It is named for U.S...
. He holds music degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. Burke studied as a Fulbright Fellow in Paraguay.
Burke writes: "I was born in St. Louis into a family of teachers. My aunt was the first black woman to earn a doctorate from St. Louis University. She was a major influence in my life and introduced me to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when I was young. I began to dedicate my life to music when I began my music studies at age 12. My instruments were piano and organ but I also sang."
Professional life
Burke is the Music Director and Conductor of the University City Symphony OrchestraUniversity City Symphony Orchestra
The University City Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit community orchestra, established in 1960, giving amateur musicians in the St. Louis, Missouri area the opportunity to play orchestral literature...
and Assistant Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Chorus
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
. He conducts the Cadenza Orchestra of the Saint Charles County Youth Orchestra Program and is the Music Director of the Belleville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Belleville Philharmonic Society
The Belleville Philharmonic Society is an Orchestra founded in 1866 in Belleville, Illinois. Its current conductor is Robert Charles Howard, and the assistant conductor is Leon Burke III.-Goal:...
. He is also the Choir Director at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood.
Outside of the St. Louis area, he is the Conductor for the Metropolitan Ballet of Topeka, where he most recently (2008 holiday season) conducted The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
. Burke also conducted Amahl and the Night Visitors
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Amahl and the Night Visitors is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer. It was commissioned by NBC and first performed by the NBC Opera Theatre on December 24, 1951, in New York City at NBC studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, where it was broadcast...
in Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
, during the 2008 holiday season. He teaches voice at East Central College
East Central College
East Central College is a community college with five locations in central Missouri. The main campus is located in Union, Missouri, sitting on over . In addition, ECC also offers classes in Sullivan, Rolla, Washington and Warrenton. Approximately 4,400 students are enrolled in classes each...
in Union
Union, Missouri
Union is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,204 at the 2010 census making Union the fastest growing community in Franklin County, Missouri. It is located on the Bourbeuse River. The city was founded in 1827 and is named after the...
and St. Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
. He conducts concerts most summers with the Asuncion Symphony (National Orchestra of Paraguay) where he is the Principal Guest Conductor. While in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, he also works with the National Youth Orchestra. In Summer 2009, he is performed concerts in Tucuman, Argentina.
Burke has served as Conductor/Music Director of the Lawrence Chamber Players, the Hutchinson Symphony, and the McPherson Symphony. He has been on the faculties of Baker University
Baker University
Baker University is a private, residential university located in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools...
, Sterling College
Sterling College (Kansas)
Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year liberal arts college located in Sterling, Kansas with a mission "to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith." The school is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and...
, Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson Community College is a two-year college located in Hutchinson, Kansas. Its mascot is the Blue Dragon. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Mike Zagurski attended the school.-External links:*...
, and Webster University
Webster University
Webster University is an American non-profit private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
.
Burke is an active member of Unitarian Universalists
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
Musicians Network (UUMN). He served as a member of the UUA New Hymn Resource Task Force, which was appointed in the Fall of 2003 to create a new congregational hymn resource. Singing the Journey debuted at the 2005 UUA General Assembly to enthusiastic reviews.
Burke has won the Arts for Life Award for Best Achievement in Musical Direction for his work with Spotlight Theater’s production of Titanic in 2003. Other productions with the Spotlight Theater (Chicago, Jekyll and Hyde, West Side Story) were honored with nominations for Best Musical Production, and two more nominations for Burke for Best Musical Director.
Leon Burke III is on the roster of cover conductors for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He made his SLSO concert conducting debut on February 21, 2009, leading the orchestra, the symphony's IN UNISON Chorus, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis Community Chorus as part of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's annual Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration concert. The second half of the concert featured A Tribute to Mae Wheeler.
Education
- B.M., Composition, Oberlin Conservatory
- M.M.Master of MusicThe Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
, University of KansasUniversity of KansasThe University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The... - D.M.A.Doctor of Musical ArtsThe Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
, Conducting, University of Kansas - Fulbright Fellow, ParaguayParaguayParaguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
Leon Burke has also studied with Sir Georg Solti
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
, Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor and composer.-Early life and education:Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His father Felix Slatkin was the violinist, conductor and founder of the Hollywood String Quartet,...
, Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart is a Dutch conductor, and the Music Director of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra....
, and Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry.-Biography:He studied conducting with Jean Morel at the Juilliard School in New York, and worked with Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Center and with Albert Wolff...
.
Current positions
- Music DirectorMusic directorA music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
and Conductor - University City Symphony OrchestraUniversity City Symphony OrchestraThe University City Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit community orchestra, established in 1960, giving amateur musicians in the St. Louis, Missouri area the opportunity to play orchestral literature... - Assistant Conductor - St. Louis Symphony ChorusSaint Louis Symphony OrchestraThe Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
- Conductor - Cadenza Orchestra, St. Charles County Youth Orchestra (St. Charles, Missouri)
- Conductor - Metropolitan Ballet of Topeka
- Conductor - Belleville Philharmonic Youth OrchestraBelleville Philharmonic SocietyThe Belleville Philharmonic Society is an Orchestra founded in 1866 in Belleville, Illinois. Its current conductor is Robert Charles Howard, and the assistant conductor is Leon Burke III.-Goal:...
(Belleville, IllinoisBelleville, IllinoisBelleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
) - Choir Director - Eliot Unitarian Chapel (Kirkwood, MissouriKirkwood, MissouriKirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named for James Pugh Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that town. It was the first planned suburb located west...
) - Faculty (voice) - St. Louis UniversitySaint Louis UniversitySaint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
- Adjunct Faculty (voice) - East Central CollegeEast Central CollegeEast Central College is a community college with five locations in central Missouri. The main campus is located in Union, Missouri, sitting on over . In addition, ECC also offers classes in Sullivan, Rolla, Washington and Warrenton. Approximately 4,400 students are enrolled in classes each...
(Union, MissouriUnion, MissouriUnion is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,204 at the 2010 census making Union the fastest growing community in Franklin County, Missouri. It is located on the Bourbeuse River. The city was founded in 1827 and is named after the...
) - Principal Guest Conductor - Asuncion Symphony (ParaguayParaguayParaguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
)
External links
- St. Charles County Youth Orchestra, accessed February 14, 2009
- Eliot Unitarian Chapel, accessed February 14, 2009
- Singing the Journey, Unitarian Universalist Association, accessed February 14, 2009