Clifford Leaman

"Say goodbye to sticky pads! Key Leaves solves the eternal problem with the G-sharp and C-sharp keys and keeps the pads in great shape; and I am thrilled to be a part of the Key Leaves family!"

- Clifford Leaman (Professor of Saxophone at the University of South Carolina)

Critics have hailed Clifford Leaman as “an artist of the first order…intuitive, exciting, and enthralling." (Paul Wagner, The Saxophone Journal) Leaman reveals himself to be {an} artist of technical brilliance and emotional commitment." "The range of colors is impressive..." (Jack Sullivan, American Record Guide) Associate Dean, Director of Graduate Studies, and Professor of Saxophone at the University of South Carolina, Clifford Leaman received the Bachelor of Science degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College, and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in performance from the University of Michigan. He has taught at the collegiate level for over thirty-five years, and served on the faculties of Furman University, Eastern Michigan University, and The University of Michigan prior to his appointment at the University of South Carolina.

Leaman is in great demand as a soloist and clinician and has performed and taught throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, Slovenia, Sweden, Australia, Columbia, Croatia, Thailand, Taiwan, and China. He has performed as a concerto soloist with the ShenZhen Symphony Orchestra, at the XII and XV World Saxophone Congresses, and the North American Saxophone Alliance’s 2006 and 2014 Biennial Conferences. He was also a featured concerto soloist at the 2008 International Navy Band Symposium in Washington D.C. Leaman has given masterclasses at numerous international saxophone conferences and schools of music and conservatories world-wide, including Northwestern, Eastman, Michigan, Duquesne, Bowling Green, Georgia, North Texas, Florida State, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón, Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt, Conservatoire de Strasbourg, the Royal Academy of Music (Stockholm), Beijing Central Conservatory, Shanghai Conservatory, Sichuan Conservatory, and the Melbourne Conservatorium.
Leaman has performed concerts throughout the world and has released four critically acclaimed compact discs of works for saxophone and piano on the Equilibrium label. He has also performed extensively with percussionist Scott Herring, giving concerts and masterclasses worldwide since 2005 when they formed the RoseWind Duo. Their debut compact disc recording, Release, (EQ-92) features works for alto saxophone and marimba; and their subsequent recording Devils Garden/Angels Landing (EQ-161) features seven works written for and dedicated to the duo.

An avid supporter of contemporary music, Dr. Leaman has commissioned and given the world premiere performances of numerous works, including concerti by William Bolcom, Leslie Bassett, Frank Ticheli, Stacy Garrop, and Michael Colgrass. His recording of the Bassett with the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra is available through Equilibrium Records (EQ-63), and his recording of the Ingolf Dahl Concerto with the USC Wind Ensemble under the direction of Scott Weiss is available on the Summit label (DCD 702). Dr. Leaman is an artist-clinician for D’Addario and the Conn-Selmer Company, Inc. and endorses Selmer saxophones and D’Addario Reserve reeds and Key Leaves products.