The music of composer Leonardo Dugan, pioneering in its unique fusion of contemporary vocabulary and classical form, has been hailed by critics as “jazz-inflected” as well as “melodic and accessible,” and for making the listener “more inclined to give contemporary composers a chance.”

Highly sought after as both a composer and an arranger, Dugan has been commissioned by such diverse ensembles and entities as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, the Juilliard School, Boston Conservatory, Orchestra 2001, Grammy-winning, genre-bending trio Time for Three, rock legend Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods, and the General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the U.S.

Deeply committed to fostering the talents of young musicians, Dugan has been extremely active in music education throughout the Philadelphia area for the last 20 years. He is a professor at West Chester University’s Wells School of Music, has served on the faculty of Haverford College and Immaculata University, and has done work for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Department of Education and Community Partnerships. His highly eclectic educational portfolio includes everything from teaching classes in theory and counterpoint to directing jazz and rock ensembles to running a music technology lab.

Dugan holds a doctorate in composition from the University of Pennsylvania, where he won the Weiss Prize in Composition and received a Benjamin Franklin Fellowship. He has also been active as a professional jazz saxophonist for the last 30 years, performing throughout the Philadelphia and New York areas. He currently resides in West Chester, Pennsylvania with his wife Lauren and their two sets of twins.