Biography

Born in the Netherlands, Léon Appeldoorn developed a passion for musical composition at a young age. Trained as a pianist, he attended the conservatories in Montpellier, Dublin, Boulogne-Billancourt, and Aulnay-sous-Bois, earning degrees in piano, orchestral conducting, orchestration, counterpoint and composition in June 2023. He studied composition under Jean-Luc Hervé, Thierry Blondeau, and Colin Roche.

In October 2023, he was awarded a 9-month residency at the “Projet Bloom” foundation in Paris during which he worked on an innovative project for violin, creating a three-dimensional score based on the “Penrose triangle”.

He was a finalist in the composition competition organized by David Christoffel at the Massy Opera in May 2024 and was selected in June 2024 to compete for the André Chevillion - Yvonne Bonnaud Prize at the 2024 Orléans International Piano Competition. He’s also a finalist for the prestigious Bartok International Composition Competition 2024.

In January 2025, he participated at a residency in the french town of St. Etienne under the direction of Frédéric Mathevet, laying the foundations for a saxophone-quartet and pursuing the concepts of three-dimensional scores.

Leon Appeldoorn is also a founding member of the Penrose Quartet, alongside ondes-martenot player Cécile Lartigau, pianist Jeremy Gohier, and percussionist Paul Gohier.

Living in Paris, in the beautiful neighborhood of Montmartre, Léon Appeldoorn  now actively works towards getting involved in the creation of music for cinematic purposes - be they documentaries, short or long movies, etc.

Leon Appeldoorn's artistic references are varied and interdisciplinary. His musical world draws from spirituality, analytical psychology, symbolism, and mathematical formulas, which weave a connection between music and structure.
Among his musical influences for classical music are American composer George Crumb, estonian composer Arvo Pärt, italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, and the medieval Ars Subtilior period, which reflects his research into the relationship between the score and the performer. His work involves writing music in diverse forms, aiming to embed a musical meaning through the physical embodiment of symbols.

Léon's hobbies involve playing chess, studying religious theology, watching the Tour de France in the hot summer months and enjoying a damn good cup of coffee with some cherry pie.