Health Break Luncheon: Leon Bates

Leon Bates

Internationally acclaimed pianist Leon Bates is no stranger to the Miami Valley, having performed here as part of the WSU Artist Series and with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Muse Machine, and Dayton Public Schools. Described as “one of America’s best,” the virtuoso pianist from Philadelphia started his formal study of music at age six. His sheer mastery of the instrument has led to many invitations to perform with major symphonies in the United States, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Atlanta Symphony, and in such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Academy of Music. He has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Africa, appearing with the Orchestra Sinfonica dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Strasbourg Symphony in France, and with the Basel Symphony in Switzerland, where he made a much-heralded classical video of the Gershwin Concerto in F. His numerous awards include honors from the National Association of Music Teachers Collegiate Artists Competition, the National Association of Negro Musicians Competition, the Philadelphia Orchestra Senior Auditions, the Symphony of the New World Competition, and the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalists Fellowship Grant.

 

Leon Bates presenting a motivation speech about fitness and health in the Student Union Fitness Center Studio.  The professional pianist and body builder, Leon Bates, speaks to faculty and staff at WSU about techniques with weight lifting and concentration.

 

 

 

For more information, please contact Megan Feasel, Graduate Assistant, Fitness & Wellness at 775-5815 or feasel.3@wright.edu.

Sponsored by the Wellness & Recreation Committee