Overview
Lenora Schneller is a clarinetist and educator whose work spans orchestral performance, chamber music, contemporary repertoire, and interdisciplinary collaborations. She has taught at Cornell University since 2004, fostering a vibrant studio where students develop musicianship, artistic confidence, and a personal connection to the repertoire they perform.
A dedicated advocate for new music, Lenora frequently collaborates with living composers and explores innovative performance practices. She has performed with Tabula Rasa, the Cornell Contemporary Chamber Players, the Ithaca New Music Collective, and the Festival Chamber Orchestra. Her musical interests also extend to Latin American traditions, including performances of Latin jazz and traditional Colombian music with Palonegro and outreach tours with a Brazilian choro ensemble.
Her orchestral appearances have included performances with the Louisville Opera Orchestra, Sorg Opera Company, and the GrassRoots Festival Chamber Orchestra, where she serves as principal clarinetist. An avid chamber musician, Lenora is a founding member of the wind octet i venti dementi. She has also appeared in collaborative arts events such as the Locally Grown Dance Festival and the Light in Winter Festival of Science and the Arts. She has recorded with the Cincinnati Chamber Players, and her ensemble Trio a piacere won First Prize in the Louisville Chamber Music Society's Macauley Competition.
Lenora holds an Artist Diploma and Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Her teachers include Yehuda Gilad, Ron de Kant, David Krakauer, and Deborah Chodacki.
