Leonardo
Dugan, Ph.D.
Instructor
238, Swope Music Building
LDugan@wcupa.edu
Education
- Ph.D. in Composition, University of Pennsylvania
- B.A. in Music, University of Pennsylvania
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Leonardo Dugan is a composer, arranger, and saxophonist whose music is known for fusing elements of jazz and classical music into a unique and innovative musical style. At WCU, he teaches Music Theory, Composition, and Aural Skills.
Pioneering in its fusion of contemporary style and classical form, Dugan's music has been hailed by critics as "jazz-inflected" as well as "melodic and accessible," and for making the listener "more inclined to give contemporary composers a chance." His music has been commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, the Juilliard School, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, Orchestra 2001, the General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the U.S., the late great rock legend Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods, the Grammy-winning, genre-bending trio Time for Three, and many others.
Dugan has also been active as a jazz saxophonist for over 30 years, and has performed at venues such as Lincoln Center, Chris' Jazz Cafe, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Ortlieb's Jazzhaus. He is also a singer/songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and multimedia recording artist, and is the author of a jazz piano method book, Dr. D's Jazz Piano Method.