Clayton Leung
Violist. Violinist.
About me
Clayton Leung is an accomplished musician who has established a strong presence in the vibrant Edmonton arts scene. He has graced the stages of organizations such as the Alberta Baroque Society, Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, Early Music Alberta, Edmonton Chamber Music Society, Edmonton Recital Society and Calgary’s Kensington Sinfonia. Clayton’s musical journey has taken him beyond national borders, as he has performed with various ensembles both nationally and internationally.
Clayton’s musical prowess led him to join the esteemed Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2013, where he has taken on various leadership roles and captivated audiences as a soloist in performances of renowned works such as Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, Bruch’s Romance, and Peteris Vasks' viola concerto.
Prior to his time in Edmonton, Clayton was the principal violist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and violist of the Atlantic String Quartet. There he performed on the ASQ chamber series with guest artists such as Mark Fewer and Andre Laplante and collaborated with Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves of Duo Concertante. He also performed recitals with pianist Kristina Szutor on the Music at Memorial University recital series, in St. John's.
Clayton’s commitment to orchestral and chamber music education has led him to incredible opportunities at several festivals and residencies across North America. He is an alumnus of the Castleton Music Festival, International Summer Academy BadLeonfelden, Perlman Music Program, Spoleto Festival USA, Toronto Summer Music Festival and been in residence at Banff and Orford Arts Centres. His most memorable experiences have been working with Itzak Perlman, Roger Tapping, Lorin Maazel, Thomas Riebl and Cleveland Quartet members: Paul Katz, Bill Preucil and Donald Weilerstein.
Clayton's passion and innate ability of teaching is undeniable. He has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory division, at Queen Margaret School on Vancouver Island and has been an orchestral mentor and chamber music coach at the Courtenay Youth Music Centre, Langley Community Music School, Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta, Strathcona County String Music Camp and at the Victoria Conservatory summer strings intensive. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Victoria and University of Alberta and adjudicated at Performing Arts Festivals across Alberta.
Growing up in a musical family, his mother a music teacher and brothers instrumentalists, Clayton was surrounded by the sounds of strings. A native of Fort Langley BC, he began violin lessons at the Langley Community Music School. He continued his studies at the University of Victoria, and then pursued the viola at the University of Minnesota and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His mentors include Yariv Aloni, Heilwig von Koenigslow, Korey Konkol, the Lafayette String Quartet, Lucia Shipperus, Sharon Stanis and Robert Vernon.
Aside from playing violin and viola, Clayton is fond of the piano and ukulele, and in his free time he may be spotted around Edmonton playing soccer and lifting weights at the gym.
Teaching
I am devoted to exploring musical possibilities within each student along with developing their knowledge and appreciation of music. I encourage students to take on their musical ambitions with
patience, efficiency and optimism.
As an educator, he was a pioneer of the string mentoring programs in the Victoria, BC and St. John’s, NL public school districts. A highlight of Clayton's career was when he toured Western Newfoundland and Northern Labrador, along with four of his colleagues from the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. They mentored and performed for people of all ages in isolated communities who would not normally have
live classical musicians accessible to them.
Clayton has an aptitude for working with adult beginners and is always delighted in joining them on their journey of becoming proud amateur musicians. He has been involved with the Sooke Chamber Music Workshop, Edmonton Philharmonic retreat and more recently, Rusty Musicians Camp at the Winspear Centre.
