Retiring Musician Spotlight: Céline Leathead

This month the Minnesota Orchestra celebrates the retirement of violinist Céline Leathead, who departs after the performance of Mozart’s Requiem on November 23.

Leathead, a 30-year member of the first violin section, is among the few Orchestra musicians with roots north of Minnesota. Originally from Montreal, she joined the ensemble in 1994 after being a member of the Alabama Symphony and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, then playing with the Minnesota Orchestra first as a substitute. “When I auditioned for my position in the first violin section, I was thrilled to be chosen by my colleagues in a blind audition,” she says. “I was so nervous the first year, and it wasn’t until I was given tenure and received so much positive feedback that I felt like I belonged.”

In the past decade, the Orchestra’s major tours abroad have left a strong impression on Leathead, particularly performing at Soweto’s Regina Mundi Church, the central meeting place for Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activists and a place of refuge for those seeking to avoid political persecution. “When we played and sang Shosholoza and the aisles filled with the audience dancing, it was an experience like no other,” she recalls. “Our trip to Cuba was also quite incredible. Because of our shared language and love of music, we were able to make deep connections by collaborating with both the South African and the Cuban people. It was extremely moving.” 

More recently, she was moved by the response when audiences returned as the pandemic waned. “When the Orchestra gradually came back from COVID and the audience finally joined us back in the Hall, the joy was electrifying,” she says.

Leathead’s retirement plans include traveling both in the U.S. and her native country. “I bought a teardrop camper trailer, and my husband and I are going to explore parks in the U.S. and Canada where we will hike and bike,” she says. “I am also planning on doing more volunteering work like I did during the pandemic. And I plan on spending more time with my adult children who live on both coasts.”

Although her retirement will bring new adventures, Leathead says she will miss “being immersed in the powerful sound which we create. The experience from within the Orchestra is unique. It’s like flowing down a river surrounded by incredible musicians.” In closing, she shares words of thanks for the Orchestra’s concertgoers. “I love seeing familiar faces again and again at Orchestra Hall. The response of our audience makes all of our work so much more gratifying.”

Please join us in congratulating Céline and thanking her for her three decades of service to the Minnesota Orchestra!