Leysa Reyes

Leysa Reyes

Pianist | Musical Director | Arranger | Composer | Instructor

Biography

Leysa Reyes was born in Havana, Cuba, in Cojímar, a coastal town located on the northern side of the island. From an early age, she discovered her passion for the arts in general, including dance, painting, and music in its many forms.

At the age of eight, she began studying piano at the “Guillermo Tomás” Conservatory of Music. She later continued her studies at the Provincial School of Music “Amadeo Roldán” and completed her professional training at the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana, Cuba (ISA), where she graduated as a Concert Pianist specializing in piano performance. Throughout her career, she has received national and international awards and recognitions.

Since 1996, Leysa has been based in Mexico, where she has dedicated herself fully to music. She has accompanied soloists from a wide range of genres and disciplines, including classical voice, popular singing, flute, cello, trumpet, violin, marimba, and others.

She has taught piano at DIM Music School and at Academia Amadeus Arte Divertido. She currently teaches piano at the Faculty of Music of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and at the Superior School of Music, part of the National Institute of Fine Arts, where she also serves as a chamber music instructor and accompanying pianist.

With more than 20 years of experience as a pianist, musical director, arranger, and composer, Leysa has collaborated with numerous symphony orchestras, renowned artists, television programs, and musical theater productions.

Artistic Contributions

A significant part of Leysa Reyes’ work focuses on creating new musical versions and original compositions that integrate the virtuosity of classical music with the identity of popular music. Through this approach, she combines her training as a concert pianist with the flavor of syncopation and the Afro-Cuban touch of her roots, supported by delicate and warm tumbaos.

Some of the works that represent this unique musical technique include her arrangement “Fantaseando una Obsesión,” based on the bolero “Obsesión” by Mexican composer Pedro Flores, and “Sin Permiso de Scriabin,” an arrangement based on “Étude No. 2, Op. 8” by Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin.

Tributes, Concerts, and Cultural Programs

Leysa Reyes has participated in major events such as the Tribute to Mercedes Sosa, held in 2010 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York, as well as the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Cultural Festival and La Maison de l’Amérique Latine in France, alongside Mexican singer Guadalupe Pineda.

She has taken part in multiple cultural festivals in countries such as France, Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico.

She was invited as a soloist for a series of three concerts titled “Noche de Boleros y Algo Más,” held in Cuenca, Ecuador, with the Cuenca Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Medardo Caisabanda.

Symphony Orchestra Performances

In Mexico, Leysa participated in the Youth Orchestra and Choirs of Mexico and has performed with several major orchestras, including:

• Morelia City Symphony Orchestra

• Acapulco Symphony Orchestra

• Mazatlán City Symphony Orchestra

• National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico City

• UNAM Philharmonic Orchestra

• Camerata de Coahuila

Additional performances include:

• Collaboration with Ensamble Eslavo, accompanying Italian singer Filippa Giordano

• Collaboration with the Baja California Sur Symphony Orchestra, accompanying Mexican soprano Olivia Gorra and Mexican singer Guadalupe Pineda, under the direction of maestro James Demster

• Performance with the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Enrique Patrón de Rueda

• Presentation with the Jalisco Symphony Orchestra performing Carmina Burana alongside the National Dance Company of Cuba, under the direction of maestro Leo Kramer

• Collaboration with the OFUNAM Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Rodrigo Macías, accompanying Guadalupe Pineda and maestro Fernando de la Mora

• Participation with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico City under the direction of maestro Gonzalo Gaytán, also known as Chacho Gaytán, among others

Musical Theater Experience

Leysa Reyes has been part of the orchestras for musical theater productions such as West Side Story, Emperadores de la Antártida, and ¡Qué Plantón!. In these productions, she has served as pianist and assistant musical director under the direction of maestro Gonzalo Gaytán, also known as Chacho Gaytán.

Artist Collaborations

Leysa Reyes has served as musical director, pianist, and arranger for Mexican singer Guadalupe Pineda, performing with her in different cities throughout Mexico as well as internationally. Their tours have included Martinique, Spain, France, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Chile, the United States, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

In Argentina, she accompanied Guadalupe Pineda and Mercedes Sosa alongside musicians from the Symphony Orchestra of Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

In popular music, she has accompanied renowned artists such as Ricardo Montaner, Brazilian singer Denisse de Kalafe, Guadalupe Pineda, Tania Libertad, and Eugenia León, including performances with the latter two in the concert “Las Tres Grandes.”

She was also part of the musical groups of Cuban singer Amaury Gutiérrez, Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, David Bisbal, Shayla Dúrcal, and prominent Mexican singer Carlos Rivera, for whom she currently serves as pianist.

For 18 years, she was part of the Cuban music orchestra “Otra Idea,” which performed at the well-known cultural and tourist venue Mama Rumba in Mexico City.

Musical Productions

Leysa Reyes has participated in recordings for numerous musical productions, including:

• Live album by Brazilian singer Denisse de Kalafe, recorded in 1999 at the National Auditorium in Mexico City

• CD/DVD La Voz en Vivo by Guadalupe Pineda, recorded at Teatro Metropólitan in Mexico City

• Live CD/DVD by Guadalupe Pineda at the National Palace of Fine Arts

• Francia con Sabor Latino by Guadalupe Pineda, where she participated as musical director, pianist, and arranger on several tracks

• Live CD/DVD by Carlos Rivera at Teatro Metropólitan

• CD/DVD Yo Vivo by Carlos Rivera

• Live CD/DVD Mexicano en Concierto: Edición Especial “El Rey” by Carlos Rivera, recorded at Teatro Esperanza Iris

• Live CD/DVD Con Ustedes... by Carlos Rivera

• CD/DVD Yo Creo by Carlos Rivera

• Crónicas de una Guerra by Carlos Rivera

• Collaboration on the debut album of Panamanian singer Yomira John

• Collaboration with Spanish singer Elena Machin as composer of two songs

• Debut musical production of Mexican singer Genaro Sevilla, collaborating as pianist, arranger, and composer of two songs

• Participation in the album La Ciudad by César González “Chico”

• Collaboration with Dominican group Kche Badazza on their debut production Simplemente Kche

• Collaboration as pianist with the renowned Dominican merengue group Merenglass

Artistic Profile

Leysa Reyes is recognized for her versatility, musical sensitivity, and ability to move naturally between classical music, popular music, Afro-Cuban rhythms, bolero, Latin music, and contemporary arrangements. Her work reflects a refined artistic voice that combines academic excellence, cultural identity, rhythmic richness, and deep musical expression.