Principal
Horn

Principal horn Leslie Norton joined the Nashville Symphony in 1990, under the baton of Kenneth Schermerhorn. She has enjoyed a diverse musical lifestyle as a college educator, chamber music artist, and recording studio musician.

Upon graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Norton joined the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra as principal horn at age 23. She taught at the University of Evansville and Western Kentucky University before moving to Nashville. Along the way, she has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, the Evansville Philharmonic, and the Grant Park Orchestra. She served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival for 20 years, and in 1989, she joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, becoming an associate professor in 2010.

Norton is a founding member of Alias Chamber Ensemble and performs regularly with the Blair Woodwind Quintet and Blair Brass Quintet. She has released two chamber music CDs, This Road We’re On, a collection of commissioned works for her and husband percussionist Chris Norton, and Horn Trios, featuring works by Lowell Liebermann, Gerard Schwarz, and Paul Lansky performed with Vanderbilt colleagues violinist Carolyn Huebl and pianists Melissa Rose and Mark Wait. When not working, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two daughters, Emily, 27, and Elise, 22.