Leon Keuffer

Born in Belem, Brazil in 1995, Leon Keuffer began studying violin at age seven, first with Sandra Hsu and then with his father Paulo Keuffer whilst living in the USA. Leon has participated in masterclasses with Shlomo Mintz, Carmelo de los Santos and Peter Zazofsky before moving to Manchester in 2009 to study with Jan Repko at Chetham´s School of Music. Leon has participated in the Porziano Musica festivals in Assisi (Italy) and in the New Virtuosi Violin Mastercourse in Duino (Italy). 

In both 2010 and 2011 Leon participated in an exchange programme with the Barratt Due institute for Music in Oslo, where he had lessons with Stephan Barratt-Due. In 2011 Leon toured Brazil with the orchestra of the Vale Musica project. He followed this with a performance of Mendelssohn´s Violin Concerto in E minor with the Todmorden Symphony Orchestra at Todmorden Town Hall in 2012. Leon performed as soloist in Prokofiev´s Violin Concerto No.1 with Chetham´s Symphony Orchestra in February 2013, at the Royal Northern College of Music and in Barber’s Violin Concerto with the Chester Philharmonic in March, 2014. As an orchestral player, Leon has played under the direction of conductors such as Bernard Haitink (with the RCM Symphony Orchestra) and Edward Gardner (with the Orion Symphony Orchestra).

Leon won the class prize from the 2012 Emunah Young Musician of the Year (Royal Academy of Music) and was one of the winners of the Concerto Auditions in Chetham´s in 2012. In November 2014, Leon Competed at the International Mirecourt Violin competition in Mirecourt, France, for which he was awarded the 4th prize. In March 2015 Leon performed as a soloist in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Goias Philharmonic Orchestra in Goiania, Brazil, as part of their Concerts for the Youth series, a performance which was widely acclaimed. 

Since 2013 Leon is an Undergraduate student and is the Joan Weller Scholar supported by a Gandar Dower Scholarship award at the Royal College of Music, London. He plays on a violin made by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaumme, kindly provided by the Royal College of Music.

.

Close Window