Paul Leary begins a new job Fall 2024 as Associate Professor of Music in the School of Performing Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.
After earning degrees in music composition at the University of Michigan and the Cleveland Institute of Music, Dr. Leary completed a PhD in composition from Duke University in 2012. His recent video project with CCP Games’ EVE Online has been viewed 350,000 times on youtube. His choral music has been performed widely and his electronic music has been featured at over forty concerts and festivals over the last few years including SEAMUS, The Florida State New Music Festival, the New York City Electro Acoustic Music Festival, The Electro Acoustic Barn Dance Festival, and Electronic Music Midwest. His musical interests connect several creative areas; musical composition, video production/animation, instrument design and construction, software design, and performance. His recent EDM EP ‘Artificially Intelligent’ is available on all streaming platforms.
In addition to composing and teaching, Paul was a professional orchestrator and arranger and was principle orchestrator of the ASCAP award-winning Contemporary Youth Orchestra for ten years, orchestrating over a hundred works of jazz, hip-hop, popular, Broadway, and classical music. He has orchestrated and arranged for various pop artists including Pat Benatar, Graham Nash, and Jon Anderson, as well as music by percussionist Valerie Naranjo and pianist Michael Garson. Some of these orchestrations have been featured on VH1, PBS, and HDNet internationally as well as released on CD and DVD. His works are published by Bachovich Music Publications.
Paul’s works often include hand built instruments that bring kinetic motion his electronic works through sensors. Recent works have included a 9 foot wooden pendulum and a bike wheel rig that utilize magnetometers and accelerometers.
Paul’s other interests include cycling, woodworking, and arts and crafts. Paul builds midi controllers in his wood shop and plays the Shakuhachi flute.