Leonid Hambro

Leonid Hambro (June 26, 1920 – October 23, 2006) was an American concert pianist, composer, and Broadway performer born in Chicago, Illinois, to Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents. His father worked as a pianist accompanying silent films, an early influence that placed music at the center of Hambro's upbringing.

Hambro pursued formal training at the Juilliard School and earned First Prize at the National Naumburg Competition in 1946. He went on to serve as the official pianist of radio station WQXR in New York and held a residency at the Aspen Institute. His performing career extended to the P. D. Q. Bach performances and the Hoffnung Musical Spoof Concerts.

From 1961 to 1969, Hambro served as the musical sidekick to pianist and humorist Victor Borge, a partnership that included performances of persiflages on well-known piano pieces such as Chopin's Minute Waltz. He continued to appear with Borge periodically for the remainder of Borge's career. His Broadway credit, Comedy in Music, dates to 1964 and reflects this association with Borge's stage work.

In 1970, Hambro joined the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, California, where he became Head of the Piano Department and Assistant Dean of the School of Music, positions he held until 1992. That same year he recorded Switched-On Gershwin for AVCO Records, a duo album pairing his classical piano with the Moog synthesizer work of Gershon Kingsley. He had previously released two albums on Cook Records — A Perspective of Beethoven-Pianoforte in 1953 and Cook's Tour of High Fidelity in 1965 — both now held by Smithsonian Folkways.

As a composer, Hambro wrote Happy Birthday Dear Ludwig, a set of five variations on "Happy Birthday to You" written in the styles of Beethoven works including the Minuet in G, Sonata Pathétique, Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise, and the Fifth Symphony. He also co-authored The Complete Pianist with Jascha Zayde, published by Ludlow Music Inc. in New York. Hambro died in New York City on October 23, 2006, at the age of 86.