Moos Elementary Flute Coach
Based in Chicago, IL, Eric Leise is an orchestral flutist and educator. Since 2016, he has served as the second flutist for the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. While pursuing his Masters degree at DePaul University, he performed as a regular member for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under the baton of Ken-David Masur. During his time in Civic, he performed in masterworks concerts, as a soloist for Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, and was selected to perform in a wind quintet for community outreach. He can be heard performing with the ensemble on the CSO TV website.
With a background in music education, he teaches flute privately and serves as a sectional coach for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. As a member of Civic, he worked with students from the Chicago Public Schools, Ravinia Festival, and other local groups in side-by-side rehearsals, interactive performances, and sectional work. He can also be heard on the reference recordings for Frank Ticheli’s band method, Making Music Matter.
He has attended the Eastern and Kent Blossom music festivals performing under the baton of conductors such as Gerard Schwarz, Vinay Parameswaran, and Grant Cooper. At these festivals, he worked with notable flutists including Les Roettges, Ann Choomack, Brian Gordon, and Marisela Sager. He has been a winner of masterclass competitions for the National Flute Association, Upper Midwest Flute Association, and the Texas Flute Society performing for Jonathan Keeble, Jim Walker, and Bonita Boyd respectively.
Eric holds a Bachelor’s degree in Flute Performance and Music Education from The University of North Texas and a Masters degree in flute performance from DePaul University. His primary instructors include Stefan Hoskuldsson, Terri Sundberg, Dr. James Scott, Dr. Sonja Giles, and Erica Peel.
Who is your favorite composer and why?
The music of Debussy is just so hard to beat. The opportunities for colors and blending along with the unique atmosphere his music creates make performing his works particularly special.
What is your favorite musical memory from when you were young?
Performing Howard Hanson’s Symphony no. 2 with the Nebraska All-State Orchestra was a major musical moment for me. I had worked so hard to prepare for the rehearsals that I practically had the part memorized. It was my first real experience performing in an orchestra and the combination of a great piece, hardworking, and a great conductor solidified my career choice.
