Music has been a lifelong journey for Leo Garcia — from his first private lessons in 1980 to more than four decades of performing, composing, teaching, and exploring the many languages of Brazilian music.
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1964, Leo began his musical studies through private lessons and, in 1983, entered the OSPA Music School – Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre – beginning his formal musical training. Over the years, the guitar became one of his principal means of expression, and later piano and keyboards also became important parts of his musical vocabulary.
His work is deeply rooted in Brazilian popular and instrumental music, with a particular interest in harmony, rhythm, improvisation, composition, and the individual musical language of Brazilian musicians. As a performer and composer, he seeks to combine the richness of Brazilian musical traditions with freedom, experimentation, and a personal approach to music.
Leo holds a degree in Music Education from UDESC – Santa Catarina State University, where he taught for eight years in the undergraduate Music programs. His teaching experience encompasses Harmony and Counterpoint, Musical Analysis, Music Theory, Composition, Arranging, Improvisation, Ensemble Practice, and Guitar.
His musical journey has taken him well beyond Brazil. From 1989 to 1996, he lived in Lisbon, Portugal, working as a musician and teacher. Since 2011, he has regularly returned to Italy for concerts, tours, and educational activities, performing in more than twenty events in different regions of the country. He has also worked in Switzerland and participated in the development of an online music education project in Stockholm, Sweden.
Throughout his career, Leo has shared the stage with artists such as Yamandu Costa, João Bosco, and Adriana Calcanhotto, and participated as a guitarist on an album by Oswaldo Montenegro. In 2023, he performed as a keyboardist with British singer Zalon, known for his work as a former vocalist with Amy Winehouse’s band.
As a composer, Leo’s work is centered on Brazilian Instrumental Music. His compositions have received recognition at several music festivals, including first place at the 1st SESC-SC Music Festival with Bom Tempo. His composition Areias do Campeche was also selected at the Brazilian University Radio Festival and subsequently performed in Pelourinho, Salvador, Bahia.
He has recorded two albums of original compositions with the quartet Coringas and, in 2018, produced and recorded Imagens with the Leo Garcia Quarteto.
Teaching remains an important part of his musical life. Leo develops courses, workshops, masterclasses, and online educational projects in Brazil and abroad, sharing not only musical knowledge but also the experience accumulated through decades of performing and working with musicians from different backgrounds.
Today, Leo Garcia continues to perform, compose, teach, and develop new projects from Florianópolis, Brazil — exploring the connections between Brazilian music, harmony, rhythm, improvisation, and the endless possibilities of musical expression.
