Leslie DeShazor

Named one of thirty Professional Movers and Shakers in the Performing Arts by Musical America in 2019, violist/violinist Leslie DeShazor is in demand as a soloist, teacher, and recording artist. Though classically trained, Mrs. DeShazor is a talented and diverse musician. As a soloist, she has performed with the Toledo Symphony. She is a freelance artist who performs and has performed with The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, Michigan Sinfonietta, CutTime Simfonica, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Flint Symphony, The River Raisin Ragtime Revue, and Ann Arbor Symphony as well as jazz ensembles, Leigh Daniels Ensemble the Detroit-based, Musique Noire and Straight Ahead.

She has performed and recorded with international, Grammy award-winning R&B stars, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Kem, Aretha Franklin, Grammy award-winning gospel artists Fred Hammond, Michael W. Smith, and Donnie McClurkin. She has also had the pleasure of performing with jazz greats such as Roy Hargrove, Steve Wilson, Sheila Jordan, Diane Schuur, Regina Carter, Xavier Davis, and Marcus Belgrave.

Leslie recently expanded her versatility musically playing both viola and violin as a part of award-winning hit musicals Hamilton and Hello Dolly. An experienced instructor, she currently teaches students of Detroit with instructional music programs offered through the Detroit Symphony Orchestra,  the Sphinx Organization, and her own private studio. A native of Michigan, Mrs. DeShazor holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.