Michigan Youth Performing Arts Pre-College Program

Leo Singer is an accomplished American cellist, educator and scholar. He currently serves as artistic manager of the University of Michigan Youth Performing Arts Pre-College, a program offering world-class instruction to young musicians. He will also join the faculty at The Ohio State University School of Music in autumn semester 2026 as assistant professor of cello. During the summer, he is on faculty at the prestigious Center Stage Strings and performs at festivals worldwide, including the Caroga Arts Music Festival and the Sevcik Academy in the Czech Republic.

Singer has collaborated with numerous renowned artists, including members of the Emerson, Cavani, Verona, and Euclid String Quartets, as well as Clive Greensmith, Carol Wincenc, and Robert McDuffie. He is also the cellist of the Tesserae Trio, alongside violinist Fabiola Kim and pianist Alan Woo.

A sought-after teacher and masterclass clinician, he has been invited to present classes and residencies internationally at institutions such as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the University of Michigan, the University of Ottawa, and the Korea National University of Arts. His students have gone on to attend leading institutions including The Juilliard School, Rice University, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Michigan, as well as elite summer programs such as Aspen, the Pacific Music Festival, and the Music Academy of the West.

A passionate scholar of technique, Singer is the author of Changes of Position, a book exploring foundational principles of left-hand technique. His previous leadership roles include serving as coordinator and Distinguished Artist of Cello at the McDuffie Center for Strings and founding the Ann Arbor Chamber Fest, a concert series showcasing doctoral and professional chamber musicians. Singer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University, graduating with distinction in the intensive music major. He earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the University of Michigan, where he served as teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Richard Aaron. His other primary teachers include Ole Akahoshi, Andre Emelianoff, and Sibylle Johner. Leo currently plays a Carl Becker Sr. cello made in 1918.