Cambridge Concentus

Leon Schelhase, Co-Founder
Harpsichord

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Leon Schelhase found himself resonating with Baroque music from an early age. His musical studies brought him to the harpsichord early on, and subsequently landed him in the United States where he has rapidly become sought after as both soloist and continuo performer. A recipient of the American Bach Soloists' prestigious Goldberg Prize, Leon's solo performances have been praised as “exquisite” and filled with “virtuosity” by the Boston Musical Intelligencer , and his continuo playing described as revealing “ clean and clear lines… always distinct within the surrounding textures. ” Having lived and studied in Boston, Leon has had the privileged of performing with Emmanuel Music, Ensemble Florilege, and the Gardener Museum Orchestra. His involvement with conductor-less string band A Far Cry, described by the Montpelier Times Argus as “matching [the soloists'] tasteful ornamenting with unusual sensitivity, ” culminated in an appearance as guest artist on their first CD “Debut.” But Leon's most notable musical collaboration in Boston has been with Cambridge Concentus, an ensemble specializing in the music of Bach, and of which he is a founding member. In 2010, famed conductor Joshua Rifkin directed the ensemble in epoch-making performances of J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion on tour in Japan. Leon holds a Bachelors of Music with Honors from the University of Cape Town, and a Master's Degree in Historical Performance from Boston University where he was a student of Peter Sykes. He currently resides in Philadelphia where his local and broader involvement in early music is evident with performances with his chamber ensemble, Old City Music, Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Bach Festival Orchestra and New York State Baroque, Pegasus Early Music (Rochester) and continuo accompanist fellow at the Baroque Performance Institute in Oberlin. Future engagements include tours to Colombia and Taiwan, and appearances as guest of the St Cecilia Baroque Festival, Austin, TX.

(photography: Teresa Tam)