Kristofer Leslie joined the Calgary Philharmonic in the 2023-2024 season.
Before coming to Calgary, he had a freelance career in Toronto while studying trombone at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory. He has performed with the Toronto Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Esprit Orchestra and the Hannaford Street Silver Band.
While in Toronto, he was a finalist in the International Trombone Association’s Trombone Quartet Competition with his trombone quartet “Sauce Rocket and the Splatter Tones.” He was also a finalist in the 2021 American Trombone Workshop Solo Competition. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped form the Sunshine Brass Quintet, a passionate chamber group that brought live music to the many outdoor parks of San Diego.
Kristofer holds an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School and a Bachelor’s of Music from the Boston Conservatory and is a proud alum of both the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. He is very grateful for his excellent private teachers: Gordon Wolfe, Norman Bolter, and Devin Burnworth.
Kristofer has lived in Florida, Maine, Puerto Rico, California, Boston, Toronto and Calgary, but he considers his hometown to be China, Maine, where his family’s camp (cottage) is located. He enjoys waterskiing and sailing on China Lake as well as both running and hiking. Outside of trombone, but still in music, he plays the Alphorn and is a massive music theory nerd.