bIOGRAPHY
PHOTO © ALVARO ZAMBRANOShort Bio:
Cuban-born pianist, composer, and actor working across concert performance, theater, and interdisciplinary creation. Described as an “exceptional pianist” by The New York Times, his work connects the European classical tradition with Cuban musical heritage and contemporary stage practice.
A recipient of the Elizabeth Peña Breakthrough Artist Award by the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors, Reyna was awarded a Special Tony Award (2025) as part of the Broadway production Buena Vista Social Club, whose cast album won a Grammy. In the production, he performs in the dual role of actor and pianist portraying Rubén González.
Formed in the pianistic lineage of Claudio Arrau, he trained in Cuba, Chile, and Germany, completing his Master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin. He has received more than fifteen international prizes and has performed as a soloist with orchestras in Cuba and Chile, with repertoire ranging from Mozart to Prokofiev.
His discography includes solo albums and collaborations as pianist and arranger. He recently completed a recording of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, produced at Emil Berliner Studios, set for release in 2026.
Extended Bio:
Leonardo Reyna was born in Havana, where he began his musical training with his mother, pianist Alejandrina Reyna, before continuing at the Conservatorio Manuel Saumell under Bárbara Díaz Alea.
At the age of ten, he moved to Chile to study with Roberto Bravo and became part of the Roberto Bravo Foundation. During these formative years, he performed extensively across the country, in concert halls, rural communities, hospitals, and mining regions. These experiences shaped his understanding of performance as both an artistic and social practice. He made his orchestral debut at thirteen performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 and received early recognition at the Concurso Internacional de Piano Claudio Arrau. Based in La Serena, Reyna regularly traveled to Santiago to continue his studies with Bravo, establishing an intensive training routine that defined his early development.
Returning to Cuba at seventeen, he studied with Teresita Junco at the Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán and later at the Instituto Superior de Arte under Rosario Franco, a disciple of Claudio Arrau. During this period, he won awards in national competitions, including the UNEAC prize for the best performance of Cuban composers, and made his debut with the Conservatory Orchestra performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. In 2007, he was awarded second prize at the International Piano Competition Ignacio Cervantes in Havana.
In 2008, Reyna returned to Chile, winning First Prize at the Soloists Competition of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile. Encouraged to pursue studies in Europe, he received a scholarship from the Fundación Albéniz to study at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid. Instead, he chose to continue his studies in Berlin at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, completing both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. There, he studied with Gabriele Kupfernagel, focused on Lied and vocal collaboration with Wolfram Rieger and Thomas Quasthoff, and explored chamber music extensively.
Berlin became a decisive chapter in his artistic formation. The city’s musical and cultural landscape, from the Philharmonie to its active chamber music scene, offered both challenge and freedom. Reyna encountered critical scrutiny and cultural unfamiliarity, which compelled him to define his artistic identity independently. He rediscovered his Cuban roots, studying and performing overlooked repertoire from Havana, integrating these works into his growing concert programs.
In 2020, Reyna created Cuba Inside a Piano, an interdisciplinary project realized with the support of Steingraeber & Söhne in Bayreuth. The work, integrating his compositions, Cuban repertoire, and visual elements, became a platform for his exploration of diaspora, heritage, and contemporary performance. His Bechstein grand piano, acquired in Berlin, marked the beginning of this new artistic phase.
After Berlin, Reyna spent time in Amsterdam, performing extensively and founding the small concert organization Contrapunto. Under the support of conductor Jaap van Steen, he presented chamber music and solo programs, continuing to expand his repertoire and performance experience.
In 2025, Reyna relocated to New York, joining the Broadway production Buena Vista Social Club as pianist and actor portraying Rubén González. The production received a Special Tony Award, and the cast album was awarded a Grammy. Reyna’s interdisciplinary work continues to combine performance, recording, and theatrical projects, including Seven Sones, further developing his vision of Cuban concert music in contemporary contexts.
His recordings include two solo albums, a planned release of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, and collaborations such as the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club cast album. He has performed internationally across Latin America, Europe, and the United States, including venues such as Konzerthaus Berlin, Teatro Amadeo Roldán in Havana, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Konserthuset Stockholm, and Steinway Haus New York. His repertoire spans from Baroque to Romantic masters, contemporary composers, and Cuban concert literature, integrating improvisation, jazz influences, and interdisciplinary elements.
PHOTO © SOFIA RAMIREZIn 2020, during the global pandemic, Reyna premiered Cuba Inside a Piano in Berlin, an interdisciplinary project born from a deep sense of nostalgia and the desire to reintroduce the rich Cuban piano repertoire to the European cultural landscape. Europe had once been a crucial reference point in the development of this musical tradition, and Reyna sought to reconnect those historical threads while illuminating the African roots that profoundly shaped Cuban musical identity. Supported by the historic piano manufacturer Steingraeber & Söhne, the project brought together musicians and visual collaborators in performances that combined Reyna’s original compositions with works drawn from the Cuban piano canon.
From the instrument itself, Reyna proposed a poetic journey through the musical memory of the island—suites, fantasies, and contemporary reflections inspired by the rhythms, harmonies, and cultural landscape of Cuba. The project marked an important turning point in his artistic voice, situating the piano as both storyteller and stage.
Reyna’s growing interest in theatrical expression naturally led him toward the stage. This trajectory culminated in his portrayal of legendary Cuban pianist Rubén González in the Broadway production of Buena Vista Social Club, where he performs in the rare dual role of actor and musician. The experience brought together his classical training, his roots in Cuban musical culture, and his expanding engagement with dramaturgy and narrative performance.
Underlying much of Reyna’s work is the continuation of a family legacy deeply rooted in Cuban music. His grandfather, Rodolfo Reyna, was a violinist and arranger with the historic orchestra of Abelardo Barroso, contributing to the golden era of Cuban popular music. This heritage later found renewed meaning through Reyna’s close artistic collaboration with guitarist and composer David Oquendo, who became both mentor and trusted musical companion in his exploration of the Cuban repertoire.
Theater- Performance