Leslie Anne Harrison is a flutist, author, and educator. Playing Outside the Lines, her Irish flute method book series written for both Boehm (silver/classical) and simple system (Irish) flute players is now available from Mel Bay Publications. Playing Outside the Lines provides an in-depth look into Irish traditional flute playing that is accessible to both folk and classical musicians. It also provides a graduated pedagogical approach that Leslie developed for flute players—and flute teachers—who may be less familiar with Irish traditional music.
Leslie specializes in helping classically trained flutists transition to Irish flute for the first time, or learn Irish traditional flute technique on the instrument they already play. She holds a Master of Music degree from New York University, where she received the Graduate Woodwind Award. She then moved to Ireland for several years, where she studied Irish traditional flute playing and earned her Master of Arts degree in Irish Traditional Music from the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.
Leslie has performed in Ireland, Scotland, and across the United States as a founding member of Folk Ragoût, New Time Ensemble, and Ryefield Cove, and she has been a guest artist in New York City, Italy, and Peru with the Metro Chamber Orchestra, the Combo Nuvo Orchestra, members of the Silk Road Project, and New York City's Public Theater. Recordings include A Year in Ireland and Folk Ragoût: Musiques Folk du Monde, as well as guest appearances on Music for Hawaiian Gardens, Twelfth Night, Live at Edinburgh Folk Club, Winter, and The Green Fields and the Mountains High. Twelfth Night was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.
Throughout her time teaching in Ireland and the United States, Leslie has been designing new courses and workshops for classical and folk musicians alike. Working both as faculty and a visiting guest artist, she has provided instruction at classical flute associations, performing arts high schools, community music schools, music festivals, and colleges.
In addition to Playing Outside the Lines, Leslie’s research projects include The Application of Music Therapy in the State of Maine, The Influence of Irish Traditional Music on Classical Musicians, Women in Irish Traditional Music, Irish Music for Classical Flutists, and Feminism and Agency in Irish Traditional Music. She has also completed research, ethnographic interviews, and audio editing for Cultural Roadmapp, where she was Ethnographer & Lead Producer.
Leslie lives in New England where she teaches flute online, performs and records with Ryefield Cove, and is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. You can keep up with her current projects through her monthly newsletter or by following her on Facebook or Instagram.