Mr. Leonard Ranallo

Drawing inspiration from Bach to Coltrane and beyond, American Guitarist Leonard Ranallo seeks to blur the line between composer, performer, and improviser. Equally comfortable in the concert hall or a local club, Ranallo brings a unique vitality to every performance. His fluency in both classical and electric guitar has resulted in performances across the United States and Europe. As a performer, he has been featured at festivals in Italy, Scotland, and the US, and has won prizes in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Musicians Competition, the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society Competition, and the James Stroud Competition. In 2012, Ranallo made his professional orchestral debut as a concerto soloist performing with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. As a composer, he works to incorporate new and expressive sounds and techniques into the guitar vocabulary. Ranallo is also a strong promoter of new music, collaborating with composers from the US and UK on new works for classical and electric guitar.

Ranallo completed his Master’s Degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow studying under Matthew McAllister and Professor Allan Neave and his Bachelor of Music at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio under Stephen Aron. He is currently on faculty at the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore and maintains a private teaching studio in Philadelphia.

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