ABOUT

Leighanne Saltsman is a mezzo soprano, composer and producer who specializes in Art Song, choral repertoire and classically-inclined experimental electronica.

She is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Downtown Voices, and performs regularly with the Bard College Chamber Singers under James Bagwell, Renee Louprette and Leon Botstein. She has appeared numerous times with choirs at Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Her compositions have been sung by the Walden School of Music’s CMR choir under the direction of Thomas Colohan (Washington Master Chorale), Maren Montalbano of Grammy-winning ensemble
The Crossing, and supporters and mentors include Stephen Sands (Trinity Wall Street) and Roomful of Teeth’s Dashon Burton.

She currently studies composition with Juhi Bansal, voice with Tami Petty, and holds a B.Mus from Oberlin Conservatory.

In addition to her musical expertise, Leighanne holds a B.A. from Oberlin College in Visual Art. She comes from twelve generations of educators, artists, farmers, dreamers, and folks who worked with their hands, and her inherited knowledge informs all her creative pursuits. By keeping her hands in the dirt and her eyes on the stars, she makes music designed to inspire listeners to depart their daily lives and experience their surroundings in new ways. Leighanne lives in the Hudson Valley and spends her free time making wildcrafted baskets with foraged plant fibers.