British-American violinist of Iraqi-Kurdish descent, Leora Cohen, enjoys a diverse career performing as a recitalist, soloist and ensemble musician around the world. She holds a first-class degree from the University of Cambridge and two postgraduate Diplomas from the Royal College of Music.
Leora made her debut at 16 performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole at St John’s Smith Square. In 2020 she performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at West Road Concert Hall, was a finalist in the Sir Karl Jenkins Music Competition and played Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 in masterclass with Michael Vaiman live-streamed on the Violin Channel. For over two years she toured with the LGT Young Soloists, performing regularly to Liechtenstein Royalty and opening the 2022 Heidelberg Festival playing Kreisler. In her final year at the RCM, Leora was soloist with the RCM Symphony Orchestra in a public masterclass with Maxim Vengerov on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. She currently performs regularly as soloist with the Albion Chamber Orchestra in London, as a recitalist across the UK with Paul Wingfield and Germany with Parvis Hejazi and in Fira Duo with flautist, Liz Meyer.
Leora has played chamber music on BBC Radio 3, at Kings Place, and at the Wigmore Hall, and held an Instrumental Award for chamber music during her time at Cambridge.
A prominent concertmaster of her generation, she has led all orchestras of the RCM senior and junior departments, the National Youth Orchestra of GB, and the Cambridge University Orchestra under the baton of many renowned conductors including John Wilson, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Antonio Pappano, Jac van Steen and Thomas Adés at the BBC Proms, and collaborating with soloists such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Guy Johnson. She has played alongside the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Chineke!.
In her spare time, Leora edits and typesets manuscripts for publishing houses such as Bärenreiter, Schott, the Frank Bridge Trust and the Bohuslav Martinů Institute.
Leora plays a Vincenzo Panormo violin on loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation, and is grateful for the support she has received from the University of Cambridge, the Royal College of Music, Talent Unlimited, Help Musicians, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Stephen Bell Trust, the Honourable Society of Knights of the Round Table and the MCSC/H.S. Barlow Charitable Trust.
