LEANNA PUTTICK
GUEST CONDUCTOR:
West Australian Youth Orchestra
Southside Symphony Orchestra - Western Australia
Mitcham Orchestra - South Australia
Co-Opera - South Australia
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CONDUCTING FELLOW:
Carlos Miguel Prieto Fellowship, Orchestras of Americas (2025)
West Australian Symphony Orchestra (2024)
Perth Symphony Orchestra (2023 - 2025)
FINALIST:
The Australian Ballet - Robert and Elizabeth Albert Conducting Fellowship (2024)
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ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR:
The Rite of Spring, Bolzano Dance Festival, Italy (2024)
Don Giovanni, Vienna Opera Festival (2024)
Cosi Fan Tutte, Vienna Opera Festival (2024)
Northey Conducts West Australian Youth Orchestra (2023)
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra - Elder Conservatorium Masters Program (2022 - 2023)
West Australian Opera - WESFARMERS YOUNG ARTIST (2019 - 2021)
"She has proven over a number of years to have both the technique and temperament of a fine conductor and a future music director."
Ben Burgess,
CEO, West Australian Youth Orchestra
Photo by John Marcel Rousselet
Leanna Puttick is an Australian-Chinese conductor based in Perth, Western Australia. In 2025, she is one of 12 fellows for the prestigious international Carlos Miguel Prieto Fellowship, where she works closely with Fellowship Director and Guildhall faculty Scott Wilson, connecting and learning from celebrated conductors around the world including Carlos Miguel Prieto, Marin Alsop, Valentina Peleggi, Holly Mathieson, Leonard Slatkin, Vasily Petrenko and Sir Roger Norrington amongst others.
Leanna’s dynamic career spans orchestras in Australia and internationally, including the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Co-Opera, West Australian Youth Orchestra (WAYO), West Australian Opera, and more. Her recent highlights include assisting Timothy Redmond and Fondazione Haydn at the 2024 Bolzano Dance Festival for The Rite of Spring. With childhood roots in ballet, she is eager to work collaboratively on all projects that unite orchestral music and dance. Notably, she was a finalist for the highly sought after Robert and Elizabeth Albert Fellowship with The Australian Ballet in 2024.
Leanna’s journey into conducting began in 2019 when she was appointed Young Artist Conductor with the West Australian Opera under Chris van Tuinen. During her time (2019–2021), she made her opera debut conducting WAO’s 2020 production of The Nightingale by Latvian-Canadian composer Imant Raminsh. She further honed her craft through a Master of Music in Conducting (2022–2023) at the Elder Conservatorium of Music under the mentorship of Luke Dollman, conducting rehearsals with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and serving as assistant conductor on numerous occasions. Her operatic achievements include conducting Gianni Schicchi on tour with Co-Opera in 2022.​​
Conductors she has assisted to date include Timothy Redmond, Karen Ní Brhoin, Luke Dollman, Brad Cohen, Benjamin Northey, Chris Van Tuinen, Jessica Gethin, Umberto Clerici and Tristan Schulze. At the end of 2023 Leanna was one of 16 conductors chosen to participate in The Rite with Marin Alsop and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, where she was awarded a placement on second tier. She has taken masterclasses around the world from some of the worlds top conductors including Marin Alsop, Alice Farnham, Leonard Slatkin, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Jorge Mester, Jessica Gethin, Alexander Shelley, Timothy Redmond, Karen Ní Brhoin, and Elena Schwarz to date. She is regularly mentored by Alice Farnham, Jessica Gethin, Karen Ní Brhoin, Timothy Redmond and Scott Wilson.
Beyond the podium, Leanna is deeply committed to supporting youth and fostering community through music. As a guest who continues to be invited to conduct West Australian Youth Orchestra (WAYO), she strives to inspire and guide young musicians on their musical journeys. In 2024, she had the privilege of conducting a sold-out performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, an experience that highlighted the joy of engaging young audiences. Her dedication to nurturing creativity also extended to her role as a board member for Circus WA, supporting artistic expression across Western Australia.
An advocate for contemporary music and emerging composers, Leanna began her career as a composer, earning a Bachelor of Music: Composition and Music Technology from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (2012–2015). From 2012 to 2019 Leanna had a focus on composition for film, video games and stage, and was a student of the Hollywood Music Workshop in Baden, Austria. Her tutors in film composition included top Hollywood and BBC composers Conrad Pope, Nan Schwartz, Joe Kraemer, TJ Lindgren, John Lunn, Chris Velasco, Thomas Chase Jones and Frank Herrlinger. She was quickly asked to join the HMW staff and served as Director of Operations, Librarian and Stage Manager from 2016 - 2019.
Leanna’s broad artistic interests and her devotion to fostering young talent make her an inspiring force in the orchestral world, blending tradition with innovation and cultivating a vibrant future for classical music.