Lesedi Ntsane is a South African-born trumpet player who was introduced to the cornet whilst at the Salvation Army Church, where he later learned to play. Born into a musical family, with a singing mother, a father who had spent some time with trumpet, and a grandfather who was the Director of one of South Africa’s classic musical units, The Merrymaker’s Orchestra.

Lesedi spent his entire high school career playing for the Springs Boys High School Brass Band, winning national Marching Band Competitions for five consecutive years. He later enrolled at the M.C. Art Academy at the South African State Theatre and then at Tshwane University of Technology under the mentorship of Bernt Baumann, John Davies, and Kevin Davidson.

He joined the South African outfit 4 Seasons, leading festivals and community outreach while holding the music banner high. The band won the Regional 2009 Puisano competition and was selected as one of the two Provincial winning bands. Lesedi has worked with great musicians and bands such as the Phatt Brass Big Band, The New Cool ensemble, and performed with Gloria Bosman, Feya Faku, and Howard Johnson Lyne Arrialle at the South Africa Jazz Foundation in 2010.

He has played with bands like the Violent Femmes (2007) and was the lead trumpet for the O’Jays Sunshine Tour in South Africa (2009). After graduating from Tshwane University of Technology with a Diploma in Music in 2010, Lesedi moved to New York City to further his studies at the prestigious New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he studied under Billy Harper, Jimmy Owens, Charles Tolliver, Cecil Bridgewater, and others.

In New York, he performed at venues such as the Museum of Modern Arts, The Brooklyn Museum, The Shrine, Joe’s Pub, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has also worked on film-scoring projects with L.A.-based composer Bo Jacobson and for Lalela Library Music. For the past two years, he has been part of the Webop Educational program at Jazz at Lincoln Center, working with Riza Printup, Dr. Patrice Turner, and others.

Lesedi has represented the New School for Jazz as part of a jazz combo called “The New School Swingers” and has curated shows at Madiba Restaurant in Brooklyn, collaborating with musicians like Bakithi Khumalo, Stanley Banks, and Anton Fig. He recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and continues to work as a band leader and collaborator.