Leon Karan,

M.F.A., B.Mus., R.M.T.,

Pianist, Educator, Piano tuner

Leon Karan holds degrees of Master of Fine Arts from Ural University, Yekaterinburg, Russia and Bachelor of Music from the Music College, Mogilev, Belarus.

In Minsk, Belarus, Leon held the positions of Piano Department Head at the Music School for the Gifted Students; piano methodology course instructor at the Music Teacher’s University and concurrently worked as a piano tuner.

Since his arrival to Canada in 1991, he has been teaching piano at several prestigious music schools, conducting senior choir in Hamilton and continuing to work as a piano tuner. Leon holds the title of an Expert Installer of Piano Climate Control Systems from Piano Life Saver in Hendersonville, USA.

In 1993 Leon performed with the Hamilton Symphony Orchestra as a guest piano soloist and founded his own Leon’s Music Studio. Many of his students have received the highest awards in local, provincial, nationwide competitions, silver medals and scholarships from Royal Conservatory of Music, Conservatory Canada and other prestigious music supporting organisations. Many of them have become professional musicians. In 2004-2005 he was the Vice-President of Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association, Hamilton/Halton Branch.

Since 2000 he has been working as a piano instructor at the School of the Arts and as Director of Piano Pedagogy summer courses at McMaster University. In 2009 Leon joined the faculty of Hamilton Academy of Performing Arts.