The violin virtuoso is as spectacularly flamboyant in life as he is on stage.
The artist formerly known as Hahn-Bin Yoo makes his New Zealand debut tonight with a performance that will cut a swathe across centuries and sensibilities.
"This is my first concert as my new incarnation. This show in Dunedin is about my rebirth," Leopold said yesterday.
"Amadeus Leopold is the name I chose for my US citizenship. It represents my rebirth and the conquering of pain to be all that I want to be. This concert will expose all my experiences, not just the ecstasy. I believe you can't experience ecstasy without darkness and pain.
"I've always been theatrical, ever since birth. I was born in Korea, but made in New York City. The visual element and the music are equally important.
"They are two distinct expressions coming together in a common language. So much of me is about marrying the old and the new.
"That friction and contradiction inspires me," he said.
"This concert is a living greatest hits collection of classical music. It will journey from the darkest of dark. We begin in the darkest hour of the night and travel to a beautiful sunrise. The sort of sunrise you can only earn by persevering through hell."
The 25-year-old is noted for his particular juxtaposition of classical and post-modern music "I became not only a professional concert violinist, but a performance artist as well.
"Music has been my way of communicating with the world and I've never understood why we stick out barriers.
"It isn't enough for me to understand my fingers on stage. I want to understand all of my body and have the fullest expression I can. How can you represent that spectrum without committing yourself fully?
"My whole life is a study in contradiction and juxtaposition and classical music deserves nothing less.
"I want to promote classical music through pop performance art. That is the calling for Amadeus Leopold. That is my destiny."
Leopold - or Leo, as he prefers to be called - used to play on a $4 million Maggini violin made in 1590.
However, the physicality of his choreographed show made him to swap it for a contemporary instrument two years ago.
"You don't want to be jumping around on stage with a $4 million violin," he says.
His style and flair have made him a collaborator sought after by some of music's biggest names.
Earlier this year, he worked with Madonna on her MDNA album and Scissor Sisters on their new album, Magic Hour.
"It is amazing to me to have my work mean something to people outside classical music. I get my inspiration from classical musicians and artists and modern artists, like Madonna."
Leopold trained for 10 years in New York under legendary violin teacher Itzhak Perlman, who founded the Perlman Music Programme for exceptionally gifted young musicians.
At the tender age of 12 he performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards and made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 21.
"He is an extremely talented violinist who is very, very individual," Perlman recently said of his protege.
"He combines music with drama and a visual element. It's very personal to him."
• Till Dawn Sunday is on at Otago Girls' High School at 7.30pm today.
