Leonid Galaganov is a composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who explores relationships between the spontaneity of raw emotion and precisely defined ideals, perfection and longing, extremely rational and existentially absurd.
Photo by Zack Clarke. On E 7th Street.
Originally from an Old-Ritualist settlement in Estonia, Leonid relocated to NYC in 2012, and since then he has premiered original and collaborative music at venues like Roulette, Cornelia Street Cafe, The Stone, Judson Church, Clemente Soto Velez, Downtown Music Gallery, along with performances at the Vision Festival and the Rubin Museum. Leonid has received commissions from the American Modern Ensemble, Cassatt String Quartet and Ensemble Mise-En, and he has closely worked with William Parker, Kyoko Kitamura, Daniel Carter, Zack Clarke, Aquiles Navarro and many other international artists. Featured on over 20 record releases, Leonid has also done interdisciplinary work with installations, dance, poetry, theater, film, paintings, and has performed in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, the UK and the US.
Photo by Cristina Marx. From Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon 2022 Festival.
In his present performance practice Leonid uses the drum kit, shakuhachi, live processing, multichannel mobile media, the EJI keyboard*, prepared piano and various percussion instruments. As a composer, his music is shaped by a broad range of both traditional and experimental influences – especially feeding on contemporary improvisation, devotional rituals, new music, jazz and creative music that reaches beyond its form.
Leonid’s current research mainly focuses on microtonality, multichannel spatialization and new structures for improvisation – as intentional tools for explorations of creativity in contemporary ritualistic environments. During his Ph.D. studies at SUNY Stony Brook, he has examined these subjects in the works of Catherine Lamb, Christopher Trapani and Ben Johnston, presenting his research at the symposium “Mikrotöne: Small is beautiful”, The Microtonal Village, Manhattan International Composers’ Conference and the Estonian Academy of Music. Previously, Leonid studied orchestral conducting at Tallinn University and holds a BM in jazz studies from NYU as well as a MM in composition from SUNY Purchase College.