Justine Leichtling is a composer, violinist, and psychologist living in Brooklyn. Originally from San Francisco, she received her BA in Computing and the Arts from Yale University. She went on to obtain her doctorate in Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. In 2023, Justine began a Masters in Composition at Mannes School of Music, where she studies with Timo Andres. She maintains a small therapy practice on the side. Justine often explores psychological themes in her music and seeks to capture emotional truth through sound. In constant creative dialogue with her internal and external worlds, her music exists in the liminal space between these worlds where emotions not only make sense, but they give our lives meaning. Her recent work in this vein, Stand Clear of the Doors for piano trio and audio-visual media, which premiered in New York in February, depicts a physical and emotional journey from a situation of being trapped to one of freedom. In her spare time, you can find Justine playing chamber music with friends, attending live shows, reading poetry, running in Prospect Park, or swimming in the ocean.​