Markus LEOSON
Markus Leoson
Prof. Markus Leoson, born 1970 in Linköping, Sweden demonstrated an early interest in, and aptitude for, percussion. He was admitted to the Royal College of Music in Stockholm at the tender age of 15 and graduated four years later. In 1990 he was taken on as a percussionist with the Royal Opera Orchestra, 1991 he was employed as solo timpanist at the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra but returned to the Royal Opera Orchestra where he became solo timpanist 1993 and stayed there until 2008 when he was appointed professor at the FRANZ LISZT Hochschule für Musik in Weimar, Germany.
Today he is an internationally sought-after solo percussionist but also gives frequent master classes at music colleges and festivals.
In addition to the Swedish Soloist Prize that he won 1995, he has won international music competitions such as the 1997 EBU IFYP (International Forum of Young Performers) Competition in Bratislava and the ARD International Music Competition in Munich with a 2nd Prize (no 1st or 3rd prize was awarded). In 1995 he took home 2nd Prize in the Nordic Soloist Competition in Reykjavik.
For the season 1996-97 he was appointed Artist in Residence at the Swedish Radio and did both concerts and several radio recordings. His debut concert in the Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Hall in June 2000 was broadcasted on German and Swedish radio. Markus Leoson has appeared as a soloist (also in radio and television) around Scandinavia, Europe and Asia and he has performed with orchestras as St. Petersburg Philharmonics, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonics, Oslo Philharmonics, Tampere Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera Orchestra of Sweden, Koszalin Philharmonics, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Lapin Kamariorkesteri, Stockholm Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Östgöta Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonisches Orchester Plauen-Zwickau, BBC National Orchestra of Wales a.o. Percussion, his first solo CD was released on the Caprice label in 1996. He has since released many others, including Markussion (nosag CD 071) nominated for the 2003 Swedish Grammy Awards and in 2006 Malletiana. The latest, Colludo (nosag CD 129), is recorded with Uppsala Chamber Soloists. He has also recorded several duo and chamber music CD´s with different artists as well as participated in many orchestral CD´s. Markus Leoson´s repertoire is uncommonly eclectic, and over the years he has worked closely with international composers who have written solo pieces, percussion and marimba concertos as well as pieces for cimbalom especially for him. Markus Leoson is sponsored by SABIAN.