Philippe Dragonetti was born in Belgium in 1959. He started playing the guitar at 11 and entered the Geneva Music Conservatory where he worked with Dusan Bogdanovic. In 1981, he received his classical guitar degree after studying under Maria-Livia Sao- Marcos. He then went on to Lausanne for further training with Dagoberto Linhares. His curiosity also pushed him to investigate other styles of guitar playing: he worked on flamenco, rock and jazz in workshops with Maurice Magnoni, Jack de Johnette and Mick Goodrick as well as many Swiss bands. He also delved into composing music for film, theatre, radio and musicals as well as classical guitar pieces, symphonies and choir music.
In 1986 he graduated in Musical education at the Geneva Music Conservatory. He joined a variety of bands and groups with many different styles such as the Feliu Gasull-Philippe Dragonetti duo, Drago-Rogg with Olivier Rogg, Sylvie Canet-Philippe Dragonetti (participating in the Zurich international guitar festival), the Hard Band, the Drago-Rogg sextet, the Philippe Cornaz quartet, the Nicolas Hafner quartet, a guitar duo with Christophe Leu, the electric trio D.D. Drag's Band and the MalDraCOr Trio (Phi.Cornaz-I.Malherbe and Ph. Dragonetti).
He went on tour with the “Bobby La Pointe” show for the Jean-Louis Hourdin company in France and with “Hello Trenet” in Switzerland and France, with at stop at the Avignon Festival.
Christophe Leu acquired his musical education in Geneva and after receiving his degree from
the Academy of music, he was awarded his professional diploma and certification attesting to his qualifications and virtuosity from the Geneva Conservatory of music.
He won second prize, first named in the Coimbra International Competition in Portugal after stuying with Andrès Segovia.
His interest in many different music styles led Christophe Leu to study be-bop jazz with the legendary Tal Farlow.
Apart from his classical repertoire and performances with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande or the Geneva Opera, Leu’s talent to perform a wide range of styles with ease- classical blues, jazz, rock and variety music- has allowed him to participate in the production of numerous recordings and to perform not only throughout Europe (Switzerland, France, Portugal, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia) but also in Puerto Rico, United States and Canada.
After teaching at the professional level of the “School of musical technologies” in Geneva, he currently teaches at the Conservatoire populaire de Genève.
He plays on a jim Redgate lattice 2009 guitar, and also on Godin electric guitars.
Leu’s musical language reflects his diversity. The modal colour of early music and contemporary jazz mixes into blues and latino rythmes.
His compositions, however, retain their classical form and his several suites for voice and guitar, two guitars, flute and guitar reflects Christophe Leu’s expert skill for musical blendings.
He has also composed various guitar pieces and his works are published by Combre in Paris, Productions d’OZ in Canada, Henn and Rencontres guitar in Switzerland.
He has worked during four years for the french magazine “Guitare classique” making harmonic analysis, short jazzy oriented compositions, or guitar arrangements for the classical guitar players.
Christophe Leu plays on Godin Multiac nylon guitar.