Sharp Skills was written in July 2010 for the California Summer Music Festival. It was inspired by the excellence and artistry of the cello studio of Irene Sharp. Musical ideas that I explored in the piece include driving and pulsating rhythms, short melodies passed around the ensemble, and various effects including glissandi, pizzicato, and harmonics.

This performance was given in spring 2013 by Rio Vander Stahl and friends.

Sharp Skills

Danny Leo is a composer and music educator. He began playing the violin at age 5 and composing at 12. Recent compositions include a work for the USC Thornton Symphony, a collaboration with yMusic and the Kaufman School of Dance, and an orchestral commission by the Grand Rapids Symphony. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, and University of California Berkeley. Danny has taught a variety of subjects including Classic Rock of the 1960s, classical music theory and composition, piano, and violin. He participated in the American Composers Orchestra EarShot program and is a recipient of the Carl Kanter Prize in Orchestral Composition, Presser Foundation Scholarship, Jean Schneider Goberman Award, and Winner of the CIRCE (Composer-in-Residence Chamber Ensemble) competition. Danny earned his Bachelor of Music at Mannes College, his Master’s of Music at Manhattan School of Music, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California.