Justin Lepard is a cellist currently residing in Lincoln, Nebraska. He performs with a diverse spectrum of musical groups, including local singer-songwriters, jazz ensembles, and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra. Justin has a particular interest in the propagation of contemporary classical music, and has premiered dozens of solo and ensemble pieces.
Over the past couple of years he was had the privilege of working with conductors like Keith Lockhart and Jeff Tyzik, as well as premiering music with members of the JACK Quartet, a New York based group that specializes in new music. This last summer, he was selected as a participant in the prestigious Lucerne Festival Academy, where he worked with conductors Simon Rattle, Matthias Pintscher, Barbara Hannigan, and Heinz Holliger, among others. His time there also led him to connect with composer Tod Machover, who was commissioned to write a piece for the Lucerne Festival 2015. Over the course of this year Justin will be making trips to Switzerland to workshop this piece and premiere it with the Young Performance Ensemble.