For his undergraduate studies, Leshnoff attended Johns Hopkins University and Peabody Conservatory concurrently, earning bachelor's degrees in Anthropology and Music Composition, respectively.
Leshnoff's compositions have also been premiered by soloists including violinist Gil Shaham, violist Roberto Díaz, cellist Johannes Moser, guitarist Manuel Barrueco, and pianist Joyce Yang.
Zohar was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, premiered under conductor Robert Spano in April 2016, and subsequently recorded by that ensemble.
In November 2019, Joyce Yang premiered his Piano Concerto[1] with the Kansas City Symphony and Music Director Michael Stern; it was subsequently released on the Reference Recordings label.
The United States Marine Band commissioned a Symphony for Winds to mark the 225th anniversary of that ensemble in 2023;[4] it had previously recorded a transcription of Leshnoff's Clarinet Concerto on its 2017 album Arioso.