Leonardo Freire

Leonardo Freire is a Brazilian-born and New York City-based international touring musician, music director, and educator. As a drummer he has toured around the world for multi-platinum selling artists, and played some of the industry’s most famous and largest stages. Freire completed his Masters of Arts in K-12 Music Education at Hunter College in 2015, and was the recipient of the Agnes Duffy graduation prize for academic merit. He had previously graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, and was awarded the Libbie Van Arsdale Memorial Prize for outstanding achievement in music.

In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, Freire released a “virtual jam” video series, editing a montage of himself playing drums with a video of legendary Queen guitarist Brian May. The video went viral, receiving an endorsement from May himself and shared on the official Queen social media accounts to more than 10 million followers. The “virtual jam” video idea subsequently inspired hundreds of other submissions from music fans around the world jamming with the Queen guitarist. ​

Freire is a passionate educator, serving as a faculty member at the acclaimed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts, where he was appointed the Director of Music Technology in 2022. He has an active and engaging private lessons studio, working with students of all ages and teaching drums, piano, voice, and music production.