About Our Director
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Violinist and violist Leslie Braidech received her B.M. degree from The Ohio State University (violin student of Michael Davis) and M.M. degree from the New England Conservatory (student of Dorothy DeLay & Masuko Ushioda). Studies in viola & music education at Cleveland State University completed her ODE licensure in 2018. Ms. Braidech’s teachers and coaches have included Gunther Schuller, Leonard Shure, Gilbert Kalish, Eugene Lehner, Louis Krasner, Walter Trampler, Rafael Druian, Arthur Klima and Martin Chalifour.
A faculty member of the Cleveland Institute of Music from1991-2012 and faculty member of the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory from 2001-12, Ms. Braidech has also served on the faculties of the Cleveland School of the Arts (Artist-in-Residence), the Solon City Schools, Cleveland Heights-University Heights School & the Pickerington Local School districts. s Northeast Ohio media including WCLV radio & WVIZ public television.
Ms. Braidech created the first String Education program at Riverside School (grades K-8) in the Cleveland Municipal School District, with an enrollment of 120 beginning students & final selection of 15 of those students in the annual CMSD “STEAM” program at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. In addition, Ms. Braidech was the head of chamber music studies at the Baldwin-Wallace Summer Music Institute since its’ inception in 2001 & created the first High School Chamber music program at BW in 2005. She has served as strings teacher & coach at “Strings Attached” summer Orchestra & Literacy camp at Cuyahoga Community College .
Ms. Braidech is an active performing musician both internationally and locally (Opera Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Pops, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Trinity Chamber Players, Cleveland Chamber Symphony & Central Ohio Symphony) and has been featured onstage with such artists as Harry Connick, Jr, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Yes, The Moody Blues, The Three Tenors, Andreá Bocelli and Mannheim Steamroller. Ms. Braidech has been a fellowship recipient with music festivals at Tanglewood, Aspen, Sandpoint (Idaho) and the Collegium Musicum Schloss Pommersfelden (Germany). Her solo and chamber performances have been broadcast live over National Public Radio (Boston), WQXR’s “Young Artists’ Showcase” (New York City) and on variou Northeast Ohio media including WCLV radio & WVIZ public television.