Meet Sergii Leontiev | Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sergii Leontiev and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sergii, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In art, risk is inevitable and necessary. Some of the most unexpected and beautiful results in my creative work have come from taking artistic risks. In film scoring especially, I often need to step outside my comfort zone, experimenting with new textures, sounds, or emotional tones. Or offering a musical idea that might initially differ from the director’s vision. These moments are always a gamble, but they often lead to exciting discoveries and deeper collaborations.

Other risks are logistical. Like saying yes to a project with an impossible deadline, knowing it will demand 12- to 15-hour workdays. But even then, those experiences often become the most memorable and rewarding ones, helping me grow as both a composer and a person.

Then, of course, there are life-altering risks. My biggest one came during the full Russian invasion of Ukraine, when I left my homeland, my successful career and everything familiar to move to the United States. Specifically, to Los Angeles. It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made. The war disrupted not just my plans, but my entire way of life. Leaving was a step into complete uncertainty.

But that leap became one of the most transformative moments of my life. My creative world expanded. Since moving here, I’ve seen my music performed internationally — in Australia, Italy, Estonia, Switzerland — and across the U.S., from California and Oregon to New York and North Carolina. Thanks to the incredible GRAMMY-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko and her concert program honoring Ukraine, my works reached American audiences in powerful new ways. This March, my music was performed at The Night Temple in Franklin Hills, conducted by composer and renowned soundtrack producer Catherine Joy. And almost a couple of weeks ago, one of my scores for an American-Ukrainian short film “Experience” composed during the wildfires here in LA was screened at a local film festival.

Even though I’m far from home, I continue to support my country through my music, sharing the beauty, strength, and spirit of Ukrainian culture with audiences around the world. It’s my way of contributing, of keeping something vital alive.

Risk is still part of the process. But every time I choose to lean into uncertainty, I find new meaning not just in my work, but in life itself.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For me, music is not just a profession. It is a way of living and seeing the world. I started playing musical instruments at the age of 7 and began composing at 12. Since then, I’ve never imagined a life without music. If I go even one day without doing something related to it, I feel deeply unsettled — like I’m not fulfilling what I was meant to do.

My artistic path has never been separated from my personal one. I was born in Kaniv, a small Ukrainian town near Kyiv, where our home was always filled with music. My parents (they came from scientific fields) nurtured my musical passion with quiet dedication. In the ’90s, when buying a piano was impossible, they rented one so I could practice. My brother gifted me a MIDI keyboard from his initial paycheck. These acts of belief gave me not only a path forward, but the values I still carry.

I’m a classically trained composer and orchestrator with a PhD degree, performances by national orchestras and credits for the Ukrainian film industry, and I deeply value education and professionalism. I believe that true art doesn’t develop in isolation. It absorbs the best of what has come before and transforms it into something new. Like how Dalí drew on the mastery of Velázquez and Vermeer, I see my task as transforming the musical legacy of the past into new forms for today. That’s why I don’t shy away from complexity or precision in my work. In an age where quick trends often overshadow depth, I still believe in excellence, clarity, and sincerity.

I work both in concert music and film scoring — I love this duality. Concert music gives space for philosophical and emotional exploration, while film music is a form of co-creation. A storytelling in partnership with directors and audiences.

Of course, the journey hasn’t been easy. The most defining moment came during the Russian full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when I stepped into the unknown during a time of chaos and loss. That experience reshaped me completely. It taught me to find meaning in uncertainty, and to use my music as a way to support all the people by sharing Ukrainian culture with the world.

I’ve learned that the core values behind my work are freedom of expression, sincerity, and emotional truth. I believe real art comes from within. Not from imitation or performance for the sake of trends. And I believe that audiences can feel that honesty. Even now, when artificial intelligence and mass content are flooding our space, I remain convinced that nothing can replace the soul of human creativity and the warmth of collaboration.

I want music to connect people, to carry something meaningful across borders and into hearts. I don’t see it as a product. I see it as a mission and an offering.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a close friend came to visit me in Los Angeles, I’d want them to experience not just the iconic sights, but also the quieter, more poetic places — the ones that continue to inspire me both as a person and as a composer.

We’d start in Studio City, where I live. It’s a place that feels both cinematic and personal. A neighborhood full of light, trees, and calm creative energy. I often meet with directors and fellow composers near the film studios at local coffee shops.

Then we’d head to Griffith Park, one of my favorite places in LA. I go there often to clear my mind and reconnect with silence. The views from the Observatory, the stillness of the trails. All of it has a rhythm I find creatively grounding.

Later in the week, I’d bring them to The Getty Center or LACMA, where visual art, space, and light blend into a kind of meditation. Museums for me are not only places of beauty, they’re creative refueling stations.

A day by the ocean in Malibu would bring a different tempo. Just walking along the shore, letting the waves shape the silence, can be deeply restorative.

To me, Los Angeles isn’t just a place — it’s a mood, a score in motion. I’d want my friend to see the textures between the landmarks, the moments of stillness, and the beauty that lives in the details. That’s the LA I know and love.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m deeply grateful to the people and communities that have supported me along the way. From my parents in Ukraine, my brother and his family in the US who nurtured my passion for music, to the many creative professionals I’ve met here in Los Angeles.

Composing can be a solitary process, but it’s also profoundly collaborative. Whether it’s working with directors, musicians, or fellow composers, I’ve been fortunate to find people whose sincerity, professionalism, and openness continue to inspire me.

I’m also thankful for the broader artistic community that makes this journey meaningful. Those who believe in real human connection, in shared stories, and in the power of music to speak across borders.

Website: https://www.sergeileontiev.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serge.leontiev/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SergeLeo91

Image Credits
Ruslana Voitiuk-Bosa, Anatoliy Leontiev, Steve Escarcega, Yuriy Priyatseliuk, Yuriy Kardash.