Leo Egen is an award-winning oboist and composer who began studying their instrument at age ten. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and currently studying in NYC, Leo has performed with numerous orchestras in the United States, such as the Kalamazoo Philharmonia, the New York City Orchestra Project, the Interlochen Orchestra, and the Mannes Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. As a soloist, they have performed with ensembles such as the Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, and the Kalamazoo Concert Band.
As a composer, Leo creates music for ensembles big and small, with a particular interest in writing music for the oboe. They have received awards such as 2nd place in the high school orchestral music division of the American Prize of 2025, an honorable mention for the Luna Lab Fellowship of 2025, and a finalist for the Young Composers Challenge in 2024 and 2025. Leo Egen recently completed the full score for the fifty-two-minute film The Battle Flags of Michigan, a project for the Michigan State Capitol’s Save the Flags program.
Leo Egen previously studied oboe with Gabriel Renteria-Elyea and Jeremiah Quarles, and currently studies with Elaine Douvas at the Mannes School of Music. Leo studies music composition with Lucas Richman.