bIOGRAPHY
Leonardo Reyna is a Grammy-recognized concert pianist, composer, and recording artist based in New York. Trained in the European classical tradition at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, his artistic work bridges the European classical tradition, German Lied interpretation, and Cuban concert music heritage. A principal pianist and contributing arranger for the Broadway phenomenon Buena Vista Social Club, Reyna was part of the Grammy-winning cast album and won a Special Tony Award–honored with the onstage band. He is a 2025 recipient of the Elizabeth Peña Breakthrough Artist Award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) in New York City. Active as a soloist, collaborator, and composer, he is currently preparing the release of his new classical album and writes music for documentary and short films, where his voice merges cinematic sensitivity with concert discipline.
Extended Bio:
Leonardo Reyna (b. 1985, Havana, Cuba) began his musical training at the Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán in Havana under Teresita Junco, establishing a solid technical foundation. His early artistic lineage is connected to the interpretative school of Claudio Arrau and further refined under Rosario Franco.
At age 10, he emigrated with his mother, Alejandrina Reyna, to Chile, continuing his studies and achieving early competitive success, including prizes at the Concurso Internacional de Piano Claudio Arrau. He later earned second place in the final edition of the Ignacio Cervantes International Piano Competition in Havana.
Reyna received a scholarship to study at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid under the tutelage of Galina Eguizarova. Prior to relocating to Europe, he also received the Soloist Prize from the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile, performing major concerto repertoire.
In Berlin, he spent approximately fifteen years at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, specializing in German Lied interpretation in the class of renowned bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff. His expertise in vocal collaboration was recognized when he reached the semifinals of the International Schubert Lied Competition.
As a soloist, Reyna has performed major concertos, including works by Sergei Prokofiev, with leading orchestras such as the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba. His recitals have been presented at prestigious venues, including Konzerthaus Berlin, Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, Teatro Amadeo Roldán, and Steinway Haus New York.
His recordings include Classic Vibrations (2024), a collection of original compositions and cross-stylistic explorations, and The Berlin Concert (2025), featuring works by Robert Schumann alongside Cuban repertoire. He is preparing a full recording of Frédéric Chopin’s complete Preludes, scheduled for mid-2026 at Emil Berliner Studios.
In 2025, Reyna relocated to New York to focus on his international concert and recording career. That same year, he appeared as performer and pianist in the Broadway production Buena Vista Social Club, which earned a Special Tony Award for its musicians and subsequently won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, with Reyna featured on the recording.
Reyna’s artistic vision is centered on fostering a meaningful dialogue between classical concert tradition, cultural identity, and contemporary musical expression.
Theater- Performance
In 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.