Faculty & Staff
Our horn students are part of a collaborative, supportive, and engaged learning community. The three of us on faculty work closely together to give every student the tools and professional insights to achieve artistic agency.
Leelanee Sterrett joined the New York Philharmonic in June 2013 and currently serves as Acting Associate Principal Horn. She was previously a regular substitute musician with the Philharmonic, a member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and a fellow of Ensemble Connect, Carnegie Hall’s collective of young professionals and music advocates. In recent seasons, Ms. Sterrett has made solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and at the 2015 and 2018 International Horn Symposia.
A northern-Michigan native, Ms. Sterrett grew up in a musically enthusiastic family and attended Interlochen Arts Academy. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin“Madison and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. Her primary teachers include William Purvis, Douglas Hill, and Julie Schleif. Ms. Sterrett has spent summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Pacific and Sarasota music festivals, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. She is a past prizewinner in the International Horn Competition of America and the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Program.
Ms. Sterrett divides her time between Manhattan and rural New Jersey, where she enjoys being outdoors and learning how to garden. She is an avid distance runner and yoga practitioner, and has completed the New York City Marathon twice.