The Leopold Legacy
"Every natural being in the world has a pulse, rhythm, and pattern expressed in a variety of ways. Music is an example; it is an integral component of human existence that knows no boundaries. It enhances our reasoning, our emotions, and our intelligence." -Blake Leopold
The Leopold School of Voice and Piano was officially founded in the year 2000 by husband and wife team Blake and Esther Leopold.
Blake and Esther Leopold moved to the Tampa Bay in 1992, Mr. Leopold was offered a position as president of St. Petersburg Opera Company (a different company than the present SPO). They began teaching privately in Carrollwood and also took positions as music director and accompanist for Bayside Community Church.
Shortly after that Mr. Leopold met Ron Billingsley, a fellow singer and teacher, and the two toured together performing. Mr. Billingsley was also a professor at Clearwater Christian College. In the late 90s the Leopolds moved to Brandon, FL and began offering in-home lessons and started a girls choir. The girls choir started with just 6 girls and grew to consist of 50 voice choir called the Tampa Treble Choir. They were invited to sin in Washington D.C. on the floor of the Senate as well as various other local venues like Hyde Park and Tampa Theatre.
At this point there weren’t many music schools in south Tampa for young singers or young professionals and seeing this deficit, the Leopolds officially opened up their own studio, The Leopold School of Voice and Piano, in March 2000 on Armenia Avenue. They had two main goals in opening their own studio, the first was to provide quality voice and piano training, and the second was to provide employment opportunities for music instructors where they could be paid their worth. Eventually they discontinued their in-home teaching business and made the Tampa studio their main focus.
Blake and Esther Leopold moved to the Tampa Bay in 1992, Mr. Leopold was offered a position as president of St. Petersburg Opera Company (a different company than the present SPO). They began teaching privately in Carrollwood and also took positions as music director and accompanist for Bayside Community Church.
Shortly after that Mr. Leopold met Ron Billingsley, a fellow singer and teacher, and the two toured together performing. Mr. Billingsley was also a professor at Clearwater Christian College. In the late 90s the Leopolds moved to Brandon, FL and began offering in-home lessons and started a girls choir. The girls choir started with just 6 girls and grew to consist of 50 voice choir called the Tampa Treble Choir. They were invited to sin in Washington D.C. on the floor of the Senate as well as various other local venues like Hyde Park and Tampa Theatre.
At this point there weren’t many music schools in south Tampa for young singers or young professionals and seeing this deficit, the Leopolds officially opened up their own studio, The Leopold School of Voice and Piano, in March 2000 on Armenia Avenue. They had two main goals in opening their own studio, the first was to provide quality voice and piano training, and the second was to provide employment opportunities for music instructors where they could be paid their worth. Eventually they discontinued their in-home teaching business and made the Tampa studio their main focus.
In the 2000s there was an increase in high school performers that attended the studio, including students from Blake High School, Berkeley, Tampa Prep, Academy of the Holy Names, and Jesuit. In 2002, current Leopold teachers Amanda Enriquez and Tania Enriquez Navarro began their training with Mr. Leopold, they were 11 and 14 years old and continued through high school. Many of the students from the Armenia location pursued music as a career, ranging from performers, teachers, private artists, solo singers, and songwriters.
Unfortunately the Armenia building was riddled with issues that slowly deteriorated over the years, in 2011 the studio moved to the 3603 West Azeele Street location where it resides today. Over the last 20 years, the Leopold School of Voice and Piano was featured 4 times on “What’s Right with Tampa Bay”, they prepared students for college, professional careers, and young artists programs abroad, and employed 15+ private music teachers.
In 2015 Amanda Enriquez and Angela Tompkins joined the teaching team, Tania Navarro joined in 2016, Colleen Schmitt in 2018, Will Thomas Scecina in 2019, and finally Cody Austin in 2020.
In 2018, the Leopolds officially turned over the business to their former student and colleague Amanda Enriquez, while maintaining their teaching positions at the studio. Eventually, the Leopolds decided to pursue their lifelong dream of living out west in Idaho, and made the move in the summer of 2020. They continue to teach and mentor virtually, but their presence is greatly missed in the studio building. Without a doubt they have left their legacy for musical excellence in the Tampa Bay, but beyond that, they have created a legacy of love and passion for music that has been passed on to each of their students over the last 28 years.
Unfortunately the Armenia building was riddled with issues that slowly deteriorated over the years, in 2011 the studio moved to the 3603 West Azeele Street location where it resides today. Over the last 20 years, the Leopold School of Voice and Piano was featured 4 times on “What’s Right with Tampa Bay”, they prepared students for college, professional careers, and young artists programs abroad, and employed 15+ private music teachers.
In 2015 Amanda Enriquez and Angela Tompkins joined the teaching team, Tania Navarro joined in 2016, Colleen Schmitt in 2018, Will Thomas Scecina in 2019, and finally Cody Austin in 2020.
In 2018, the Leopolds officially turned over the business to their former student and colleague Amanda Enriquez, while maintaining their teaching positions at the studio. Eventually, the Leopolds decided to pursue their lifelong dream of living out west in Idaho, and made the move in the summer of 2020. They continue to teach and mentor virtually, but their presence is greatly missed in the studio building. Without a doubt they have left their legacy for musical excellence in the Tampa Bay, but beyond that, they have created a legacy of love and passion for music that has been passed on to each of their students over the last 28 years.
Many of our students have received substantial scholarships to universities and colleges with some of the best music programs in the country including:
Our students are regular winners in a variety of recognized competitions:
