Leslie Leon and Francesca Gaza

Leslie Leon, a classical singer, was born in Berlin and lives in Basel. Her repertoire spans from the Baroque period to contemporary music, with a particular focus on vocal ensemble singing, contemporary repertoire, and music theatre. She has appeared in numerous world premieres and has been invited to perform at international festivals.

She has worked with opera houses in Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, Hanover, and Leipzig under directors including Susanne Kennedy and Andreas Homoki, and is currently collaborating with Lucía Astigarraga at the Lucerne Theatre. She performs with ensembles and orchestras such as the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Kammerorchester Basel, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Klangforum Wien, and vocal ensembles including the Basler Madrigalisten.

In addition, she has received numerous grants and awards, participated in various CD and film productions, and works as a voice artist. Her interdisciplinary collaborations extend to dance and visual arts.

Leslie Leon’s doctoral research focused on the voice in contemporary vocal music. She is a certified speech and voice educator and, as a mentor and vocal coach, supports not only musicians but also artists from the fields of theatre and literature. She is Head of Classical Music Studies at Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences Zurich and teaches communication in Fribourg.

Francesca Gaza (1995) is a composer, singer, and pianist working across contemporary music, jazz, songwriting, and early music. Her practice brings together composition, song, historical instruments, and voice, shaped by literature and poetry, with music conceived as a space where times and languages resonate.

Her artistic work follows two parallel paths: song-based projects (Lilac for People, 2019; Sfiorire, 2022; currently with the quartet aminth) and her compositional work with the ensemble Kugelförmigkeit, a laboratory for unusual instrumentations and sonic colors.

Her commissions include Post Sappho for PourChoeur, as well as works for Il Pomo d'Oro and Ensemble Proton Bern. In 2026, she was named an Emerging Artist of the IYCA in Ticino. Since 2024, she has regularly conducted the Basel Jazz Orchestra. Born in Germany in 1995 to an Italian mother and a Romanian father, she lives in Basel.