Raised on a diet of Bach and Brahms, now heavily tattooed and genre-bent artist Leah Plave embraces not only classical but contemporary, electronic, non-Western, and ancient music. She often collaborates with living composers and seeks interdisciplinary, cross-cultural projects. A four-time immigrant by the age of 24, Leah has lived and toured extensively across North America, China, and Europe.
Leah is based in the Netherlands, where her love for both the traditional and the absurd have seen her performing in spaces ranging from posh concert halls to deconstructed airplanes and candlelit living rooms. She is an outspoken advocate for inclusive programming, and before an untimely deportation from Canada served as Artistic Director and cellist of the Montréal Music Collective. In this role, she programmed and performed chamber music by excellent, under-discovered composers in a monthly concert series.
Leah’s current fascination lies in the realm of electroacoustic music. She concertizes regularly throughout Europe with electronic sound artist Tiziano Teodori. Employing analogue modular synthesis, live sampling, field recordings, and original composition, their fresh aesthetic challenges the mold of the cello's traditionally perceived voice. When she is not surrounded by piles of wires and microphones, Leah enjoys collaborations with many acoustic ensembles such as Pi String Quartet (NL) Lincoln Center Stage piano quintet (USA), London Film Orchestra (UK), Z4 Piano Quartet (CA), Linen of Words (NL), Ensemble Nova Sonantia (NL), Vratsa Symphony Orchestra (BG), Theresia Orchestra (IT), Jeune Orchestre Rameau (FR), and Vermont Symphony Orchestra (USA).
Leah has collaborated intimately with many acclaimed composers and performers such as Armin van Buuren, Zosha Di Castri, Cris Derksen, David Braid, Alice Ping Yee Ho, Michael Harrison, and Amy Brandon. She has been a featured guest speaker for Australia's Curve Magazine Festival, the Berkshire High Peaks Music Festival, and a performer at festivals including Angelica Festival Internazionale di Musica (IT), The Banff Centre (CA), FIMU (FR), Zomerparkfeest (NL), and Thy Chamber Music Festival (DE).
Leah refuses to participate in social media- a controversial career move which often makes her vulnerable to the unsolicited advice of men on trains. Nevertheless, she gladly spends this spare free time reading literature, hiking through national parks, and experimenting with fermented foods.