Leonard Melcher

Leonard Melcher, born in Bad Soden am Taunus, received his first violin lessons at the age of five. He gained his first formative orchestral experience in the Landesjugendsinfonieorchester (LJSO) Hessen and served as concertmaster and sectional leader in several youth orchestras as well as in the tutti of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.

In 2016, he began his undergraduate studies at the University of Music in Stuttgart with Prof. Kolja Lessing, continued them in Frankfurt with Prof. Sophia Jaffé and Prof. Susanne Stoodt and completed his Bachelor's degree in 2021. He then pursued a Master's degree in Lübeck with Prof. Elisabeth Weber and Carlos Johnson (2022–2024), which he completed with top marks. He was an academy musician with the Lübeck Philharmonic Orchestra and spent an Erasmus semester in Oslo with Prof. Henning Kraggerud. Furthermore, he was inspired by masterclasses with renowned artists including Mark Gothoni, Ulf Hoelscher, Stefan Hempel, Rudens Turku, Maria Elisabeth Lott, and Erika Geldsetzer.

Since 2023, contemporary music has become a focus of his work. After projects with Ensemble Modern at the Musikfest Berlin, he became a member of the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) for 2024/25 and performed at major festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Gaudeamus Festival, and the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik. As a soloist, he performed Mozart's 5th Violin Concerto and Vivaldi's “Autumn”, and as a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists like Pauline Sachse, Troels Svane, and Peter Bruns. Since September 2025, he has also regularly worked as a substitute musician with the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra.