Leslie Hicken

Leslie W. Hicken, former Director of Bands at Furman University in South Carolina, is one of the most respected band directors in the United States. A member of the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame, Hicken is president of the South Carolina Band Directors Association and member of the American Bandmasters Association.

He served as one of Furman’s leading ensemble directors since joining the university in 1993. He directed the wind ensemble, symphonic band and chamber wind ensembles and served as assistant director to the marching band. In 2012, he led the wind ensemble to the American Bandmasters Association National Convention in Charleston, S.C.

Prior to joining Furman’s faculty, Hicken was the director of bands at Youngstown State (Ohio) University and director of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also performed as a clarinetist in the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Earlier in his career, Hicken taught in Durham, N.C. and performed as a clarinetist in the U.S. Military Academy.

Dr. Hicken received his Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Stanley Hasty; Master of Arts from Columbia University with Leon Russianoff and J. Marion Magill; and Ph.D from Indiana University with Ray Cramer, Robert Klotman, and Bernard Portnoy. He has served as President of the South Carolina Band Directors’ Association (2011), and President of the College Band Directors’ National Association Southern Division. He was inducted into South Carolina Band Directors’ Association Hall of Fame in 2010 and the American Bandmasters Association in 2002 as well as receiving the Outstanding Contributor Award (2002) and the Outstanding Bandmaster of the Year Award (2000) for the South Carolinia Chapter of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity.