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Connect with Leandro

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Piano on Stage
Piano on Stage

Whether you are playing your first scale or preparing for advanced performance, Leandro designs lessons around your personal goals.

 

Students learn:

  • Strong technique and foundational skills

  • Jazz improvisation and classical repertoire

  • Composition and arranging

  • Performance readiness and stage confidence

 

Lessons are available in-person in Chicago, IL starting at age 8.

One on One Sessions

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Masterclasses & Lecture Performances

For universities and institutions, Leandro offers dynamic sessions that combine live performance with teaching. These “lecture performances” give students and audiences a behind-the-scenes look at how jazz is created.

 

Topics include:

  • The structure of jazz compositions

  • Improvisation techniques

  • Arranging for small and large ensembles

  • The intersection of classical training and jazz performance

 

Ideal for music programs, jazz studies, and interdisciplinary learning.

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Available worldwide.

Why Learn with Leandro?

It's more than reading notes.

Leandro isn’t just a performer—he’s a teacher who understands how music grows in each student. With years of experience on international stages and in the classroom, he knows how to balance technical skill with creativity.

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His classical foundation ensures strong technique, while his jazz background opens the door to improvisation, freedom, and expression. Whether you want to play for joy, prepare for serious performance, or explore how music is written and arranged, Leandro brings the guidance and inspiration to help you reach your goals.

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Leandro Lopez Varady is an accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, and educator from Argentina. A cum laude graduate of the Catholic University in Buenos Aires, he began his international career touring Asia with the Eldee Young Quartet, performing in Singapore, South Korea, and China. In 1999, he moved to Chicago, where he served as Music Director at Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church (2001–2011). He also worked as music director and pianist at the Lookingglass Theater for The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a play created by Mary Zimmerman. 

 

Leandro has performed at major Chicago venues including Symphony Center, Auditorium Theater, Millennium Park, and top jazz clubs like the Jazz Showcase and the Green Mill. Since 2011, he has been the pianist and arranger for Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, touring with the group to Poland, Bulgaria, and Cuba. 

 

He taught piano and jazz band at Lewis University from 2011 to 2025 and is currently teaching at Columbia College. He remains active as a performer, educator, and arranger.

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Learn. Perform. Connect.
Discover music with pianist, composer, and educator
Leandro López Várady.

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Learn piano. Master improvisation. Explore the art of composition and arranging.

EDUCATION

Experience & Education

  • Bachelor in Music – Composition (1992), Catholic University of Arts and Sciences (UCA), Buenos Aires, Argentina – Graduated Summa Cum Laude

  • Professional: Gold Record (2016) – Pianist on Mietek Szczesniak’s Nierówni

    Academic: Gold Medal, Composition (1992) – Catholic University of Arts and Sciences, Buenos Aires

    Academic: Honorable Mention (1990) – String Quartet No. 1, National Academy of Arts, Buenos Aires

    • Piano Chair – Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago, IL (2011–present)

    • Music Director / Pianist – Lookingglass Theater, Chicago, IL (2018–2020)

    • Music Director / Pianist – Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church, Chicago, IL (2001–2011)

    • Pianist – Eldee Young Quartet: Singapore (1996–1999), Seoul (1996), Hong Kong (2000)

    • Selected Festivals & Venues: Havana Jazz Festival (Cuba), International Jazz Festival Russe

    • (Bulgaria), Made in Chicago Jazz Festival (Poland), Teatro San Martín (Argentina), Chicago Jazz

    • Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Elkhart Jazz Festival, Michigan City Jazz

    • Festival, Symphony Center, Auditorium Theater (Roosevelt University), The Jazz Showcase, The

    • Green Mill, Andy’s Jazz Club, The Jazz Bistro (St. Louis, MO), Museum of Contemporary Art, DuSable 

    • Museum, Harris Theater, Millennium Park

    • Universities: Columbia College Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Purdue University, University

    • of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, University of Louisville (KY), Lewis University, Duluth University

    • Early Career: First public performance at age 14, invited by Enrique Villegas (renowned Argentine jazz pianist)

    • Adjunct Piano Instructor – Columbia College, Chicago, IL (2022–present)

    • Piano Accompanist – Columbia College, Chicago, IL (2016–present)

    • Piano Instructor – Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago, IL (2022–present)

    • Adjunct Piano Instructor / Jazz Band Director – Lewis University, Romeoville, IL (2011–2025)

    • Visiting Jazz Piano Instructor – Universidad de las Artes (ISA), Havana, Cuba (2014, 2023)

    • Piano Instructor – Ravinia, Chicago, IL (2000–2001)

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