Carol Leone

“luminous tone… she took us into another, quite magical world”
Dallas Morning News
“Leone plays with drive and sparkle, and with plenty of wit.”
Fanfare Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

American pianist Carol Leone is active as a soloist and chamber musician, appearing throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. She performs regularly with the Grammy-nominated contemporary music ensemble Voices of Change, and as concerto soloist with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra. A successful recording artist, Leone can be heard on MSR Classics, Gasparo, Crystal, and Augusta Read Thomas labels.

Leone has been a top prize-winner in piano competitions, including the National Beethoven Sonata Piano competition. Her recent recording, “Change of Keys” on MSR Classics garnered two 2016 Silver Global Awards. She has taught and presented internationally in Russia, England, Australia, China, South Korea, Italy, the Czech Republic and Austria, and has guided many of her students through successes in international competitions. Leone is a recipient of the Texas Music Teachers Association’s Collegiate Teacher of the Year award.

Considered the world’s leading advocate and presenter for alternatively-sized piano keyboards, Dr. Leone has energized a worldwide movement to transform pianists’ artistry and wellness. Invited to conferences around the world, she passionately reminds audiences of the innate wholeness of any pianist and the new keyboard paradigm for elevating their music making. She is a founding member of the Committee on Wellness for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the Artistic Advisor for the Dallas International Piano Competition held each March.

Leone grew up in western New York state in a musical family, performing as a child with her father as a jazz duo. At the age of 10, she dedicated her studies solely to classical music and to the piano. Her professional training included study with legendary Polish pianist Mieczysław Horszowski at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received a performance certificate. She was a private student of Guido Agosti in Rome following a summer at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, where she earned the coveted Honors Diploma. She also studied with György Sebők, Earle Voorhies, and Pamela Mia Paul. Carol Leone is Chair of Piano Studies and Associate Professor of Piano at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, Texas. [ www.carolleone.com ]