Portrait of Tania León

Born in Havana, Cuba, Tania León is highly regarded as a composer, conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations. In 2021, her orchestral work Stride, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Recent commissions include works for the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Grossman Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, and pianist Ursula Oppens with Cassatt String Quartet. Appearances as guest conductor include those with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Marseille, Gewandhausorchester, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuba.

Upcoming premieres feature commissions for the NewMusic USA Amplifying Voices Program, for the Musical Fund Society in Philadelphia to celebrate their 200th anniversary, and for The Crossing chamber choir with flutist Claire Chase, among others.

A founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ms. León instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series, co-founded the American Composers Orchestra’s Sonidos de las Américas Festivals, and was new music advisor to the New York Philharmonic. She is the founder and artistic director of the nonprofit and festival Composers Now.

Ms. León’s honors include the New York Governor’s Lifetime Achievement award, awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the ASCAP Victor Herbert Award, among others. She also received a proclamation for Composers Now from the New York City mayor and the MadWoman Festival Award in Music (Spain).

Ms. León has received honorary doctorates from Colgate University, Oberlin College and Conservatory, and Purchase College, State University of New York; and served as a U.S. Artistic Ambassador of American Culture in Madrid, Spain. A CUNY Professor Emerita, she was awarded a 2018 United States Artists Fellowship.

Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the GRAMMY® nominated Dover Quartet has followed a “practically meteoric” (Strings) trajectory to become one of the most in-demand chamber ensembles in the world. In addition to its faculty role as the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Dover Quartet holds residencies with the Kennedy Center, Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Artosphere, and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. The group’s awards include a stunning sweep of all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Its prestigious honors include the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award.