Drew Leslie

About Drew

Dr. Drew Leslie, a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, joined the faculty of Colorado State University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in Fall 2019 and currently serves as associate professor of trombone and Undergraduate Coordinator.

Active as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician, Dr. Leslie has performance experience in a wide variety of settings. He has played with the symphony orchestras of Colorado, Buffalo (New York), Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Cheyenne (Wyoming), Hawai'i, Charlotte (North Carolina), Kansas City (Missouri), Eugene (Oregon), Winston-Salem (North Carolina), Greensboro (North Carolina), Austin (Texas), Toledo (Ohio), and Kalamazoo (Michigan), as well as the Santo Domingo Festival Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, and the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra and Chamber Symphony. He has also performed at the Jungfrau Music Festival (Switzerland), the Mid-Europe Festival (Austria), the Wiltz Open-Air Festival (Luxembourg), the Festival Veranos de la Villa (Spain), and has been featured in performances at the International Trombone Festival, the American Trombone Workshop, the Big XII Trombone Conference, and the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference. He performed on tour with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble and has accompanied a wide variety of other artists including Wu Tang Clan, Cynthia Erivo, Nas, the Wailers, Tower of Power, Ray Charles, Bernadette Peters, Jake Shimabukuru, and Michael Feinstein. Dr. Leslie has given numerous solo recitals at universities and festivals throughout the country and is a member of the Blue Ridge Trombone Quartet and maintains an active performance schedule across the country.

Dr. Leslie received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, his M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and his B.M. from the University of Michigan. His primary instructors include Nathaniel Brickens, Per Brevig, Michael Powell, David Jackson, H. Dennis Smith, and Jonathan Holtfreter.

My teaching emphasizes great sound, intonation and musicianship at the highest level and students are encouraged to perform with these three elements foremost in their minds at all times.