Leslie Tagorda – Clarinet

Born and raised in Hawaii, clarinetist Leslie Tagorda attended the Eastman School of Music where she received a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance. She continued her education and completed her Master’s in Music at the University of Hawaii. In Hawaii Leslie worked with the Royal Hawaiian Band as Associate Principal and E-flat Clarinetist, with the Hawaii Opera Theater, and with the Honolulu Symphony as a freelance musician. She has taught clarinet since 1992 and was the clarinet professor for the Continuing Education program of the University of Hawaii. Leslie performed as the featured Guest Artist for Nova Music at the University of North Texas in 2001.

In the Bay Area, Leslie freelances with various regional orchestras including the Oakland-East Bay Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, Sacramento Opera, Modesto Symphony, Marin Symphony, Monterey Symphony, California Symphony, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and the San Francisco Ballet.

When not busy with music, Leslie runs her own branding and design company, FLAIR-Designs where she explores the many parallels between design and music including theory (color/harmonic), rhythm, texture, timbre, and emotional drivers.