Omer Leshem
New York-based saxophonist and composer Omer Leshem was noted as a rising star tenor saxophonist on the current New York City jazz scene. Originally from Herzliya, Israel, Leshem has been mentored by internationally renowned musicians, including Sam Yahel, David Binney, Tony Malaby, and Chris Cheek. With a strong upbringing in classical and Israeli music, Leshem’s composition style is influenced by a wide range of genres and concepts, including European classical harmonies, Mediterranean grooves and lyricism, and contemporary free jazz.

Based in Brooklyn, NY for the past decade, Leshem has been featured at New York City’s greatest venues, including Smalls Jazz Club, Ornithology Jazz Club, and Mezzrow. Leshem has been touring both as a band leader and as a sideman, performing in festivals around the country and internationally. He is the winner of several acclaimed jazz competitions such as EUROFEST, Red Sea JazzFest Youth Competition, AICF Competition, and Rostov International Jazz Competition.

Leshem recorded his first album, Needless To Say, with his quartet upon his arrival to NYC in May 2015. The music is comprised of six original tunes featuring Omer's distinct writing style. In this release, each composition reveals a slightly different, nevertheless overlapping, dimension of Omer's musical vision and his diverse musical influence are at the core of his compositional style.

His second release, With All Due Respect, presents an array of original compositions that were written during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Like many other artists, the imposed quarantine provided Leshem with space to reflect and compose new music. The fruits of these creations were then arranged by members of the trio. The harmony-less band gave the musicians greater freedom and room to explore novel directions, timbers, and textures.

Leshem graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, directed by Reggie Workman, as the Valedictorian of his class. Additionally, he holds a PhD degree in clinical psychology from the The New School for Social Research.

His empirical research studied how audiences perceive music and interact with performers in live concerts. Working with leading musicians such as Dave Douglas, Kris Davis, and Andy Milne, he has investigated how audience members' empathy shapes their emotional musical experience. His dissertation explored the adaptations needed for jazz musicians to perform remotely during COVID-19.