Leslie Burrs

Jazz and Classical

Composer, Performing and Recording Artist

Composer, flutist and Philadelphia native Leslie Savoy Burrs signed a three-album re-release, international jazz record contract with the Paris record label, Libreville Records. Including a duo album with Jazz Great, Kenny Barron titled: IMPRESSIONS OF ANOTHER YOU. CARVINGS released on vinyl and streaming platforms features Burrs’ original jazz compositions and arrangements for works by Coltrane, Hancock and Jobim written for choir, chamber orchestra and jazz quartet. The album CARVINGS is a result of Burrs’ school year residency with the School District of York Pennsylvania and the William Penn High School.

Leslie Burrs was invited by the world renowned vocal ensemble Voces8 to compose a new work titled RISE UP MY LOVE for the international women’s a capella sextet LYYRA recorded and scheduled for released on Warner Classic Records 2026.

The American jazz operas VANQUI and I CAN’T BREATHE by composer, Leslie Savoy Burrs have been performed in multiple productions from Knoxville, TN to Los Angeles, CA. VANQUI is the focus of the 2022-2024 Ohio State University Seed Fund for Racial Justice grant award as well as the grant award for Humanism in Medicine received by Ohio State University College of Medicine from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Burrs designed the modules for this project and was the moderator and presenter for the project.

Burrs is the producer of VANQUI productions, presented at the Sorbonne in Paris, for the Harvard University’s International African American Music and Europe Conference, the Schomburg Center in New York City, Zellerbach Theater, Prince Music Theater, numerous universities and OPERA America conferences. PBS Radio and WBAI Pacifica Radio, N Y have featured Burrs’ operas. Leslie Burrs is the recipient of the National Opera Association’s Legacy Award for composing the opera VANQUI.

Burrs was commissioned by legendary jazz drummer Max Roach to compose a new jazz chamber work for the Uptown String Quartet titled, Song for Winnie (Winnie Mandela)-recorded on Philips Records by the Uptown String Quartet. Burrs is a guest soloist on the Grover Washington gold album, LIVE AT THE BIJOU. He has also toured as a performing guest artist with the Duke Ellngton Band under the direction of Mercer Ellington.

Burrs produced the film Autumn Journey based on his poem and composition of the same name for the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services. The project is designed to establish a new model for mental health and substance abuse service delivery, education, awareness, and stigma reduction.