Leon Schelhase

Harpsichord / Performance

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Leon Schelhase holds a Bachelor of Music 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.

Mr. Schelhase performed with Emmanuel Music, Ensemble Florilege, and the Gardner Museum Orchestra; and also appeared on the band A Far Cry’s first CD, Debut. He is one of the founding members of Cambridge Concentus, an ensemble specializing in the music of Bach; and a recipient of the American Bach Soloists’ prestigious Goldberg Prize.

Mr. Schelhase has performed with Old City Music, La Rocinante (Colombia), Ars Antiqua, Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Bach Festival Orchestra, New York State Baroque, and Pegasus Early Music  in Rochester, N.Y. He is continuo accompanist fellow at the Baroque Performance Institute in Oberlin, Ohio.  He has also appeared as guest soloist with the American Bach Soloists and served as assistant conductor in Handel’s Teseo at the Chicago Opera Theater. Mr. Schelhase joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2012.