Leo Santi, a Los Angeles native, leads a versatile career as a violist, arts advocate, and finance professional. His performance engagements have taken him across four continents, featuring collaborations with distinguished artists such as Sarah Chang, Lynn Harrell, and Michael Giacchino. Leo has previously held principal positions with the California Young Artists Symphony, UCLA Philharmonia, and Colburn Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the former American Youth Symphony, he was a featured violist on Kris Bowers' Orchid Classics album, For a Younger Self, performing Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1. Leo has also appeared as a soloist with the Montecito International Music Festival Orchestra and has been recognized with first-place awards in the American Prize, Classics Alive, and Northwest Music Festival Competitions.
Leo’s recording credits include scores for Apple TV and Paramount+ original series, as well as commercial projects for high-profile brand campaigns. Notable live performances include the Teen Choice Awards with Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson, Lindsey Stirling’s Warmer in the Winter tour, and engagements at LA Fashion Week. He was also featured in a promotional music video for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games.
Leo earned his B.A. in Economics from UCLA, where he pursued viola studies with Brian Chen. During his tenure, he was distinguished as a Gluck Fellow and honored as a Shera & Peter Falk Lt. Columbo Scholar, receiving a full scholarship. He has also contributed to the boards of the American Viola Society and local non-profits, including the Plus Me Project and Sounds Like LA. Leo currently maintains a dual career at Microsoft, where his work is dedicated to accelerating AI adoption and fostering business growth across GitHub, Azure Cloud, and M12, Microsoft’s corporate venture capital arm.
The San Gabriel Valley Symphony is a professional orchestra created by working musicians and local leaders to reflect and serve the San Gabriel Valley—focusing on community engagement and social impact. Our mission is to show the next generation in the SGV that a career in the arts is not only possible, but capable of creating real change in their communities and beyond.