Imagine the newest pop music sensation on stage, with all of the fashion, theatrics and flare you’ve come to expect in today’s pop scene. Twenty-five year old Amadeus Leopold is starting to achieve that pop star image. However, you won’t find this avant-garde performer singing the next dance craze. Leopold is actually a virtuoso violinist with many top level violin concertos under his belt.
A New Pop Star
Born Hanbin Yoo, Leopold began his journey into classical music at age five. By the age of nine, Leopold had already attained professional status. For the next eleven years, Leopold played as a child prodigy for the world’s most prestigious orchestras and biggest stages. Eventually, he began headlining his own tours and making a mark in the art world.
Alchemist of Art
His stage performances are a mix of classical music, dance and fashion. Leopold is always clad in avant-garde and experimental fashion. His style ranges from grunge, Rick Owens and deconstructionist inspirations. His violin playing style is robust and blunt. There is almost an ungainly sound that he produces but it gives him his own signature tone. The gritty nature of his style displays a wide range of emotions. To top it all off, Leopold also incorporates a mixture of interpretive dance and theater into his act incorporating modern contemporary choreography to his art. The theme that covers most of his performances is renaissance. He blends all these elements together to give the audience more than just a performance. Leopold’s concerts can be better described as an experience that he delivers through the mediums of fashion, classical music and drama.
“The Renaissance Diaries”
Before Leopold became a popular performer; he experienced the isolation and social burdens that many other classical legends have experienced. Throughout his interviews, Leopold recounts a childhood of bullying and social awkwardness. The personal pain of his early years are the inspirations for much of his art form. A consistent theme in his concerts is something Leopold calls “The Renaissance Diaries”. Leopold uses his performances to communicate a sense of rebirth. The drama and interpretive dance of his performances symbolize him being reborn as an artist. Leopold also has hopes of reinventing the classical music world and allowing that space to enter the modern world. His material of personal redemption and social impact pulsate through his work.
Legacy
Amadeus Leopold has received a type of recognition that no other classical musician has acquired. Unlike any of his peers, his innovative fashion has landed him on the pages of Vogue, Zinc and Elle Magazine. He is already making a legacy that has not yet been made by a violinist. Leopold may very well be the person to break classical music into the mainstream music market.