Leigh Pilzer, a saxophonist and arranger, has performed at many top Washington, DC jazz venues, including Blues Alley, Twins Jazz, Westminster Presbyterian, the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Jazz at the Garden, The Mansion at Strathmore, Takoma Park JazzFest, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Leigh is part of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (DIVA), the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra (Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra), Shannon Gunn, and the Bullettes. She has toured the United States, Canada, Egypt, England and France with SJMO, DIVA and the National Symphony Orchestra. Her freelance work includes a number of groups in the mid-Atlantic. Leigh’s arrangements were performed by several top military jazz ensembles in DC, as well as college and professional jazz ensembles across the country. DIVA has recorded many of Leigh’s big band arrangements. Two can be heard on DIVA’s latest CD, A Swingin’ Life (2014), and two additional are on Special Kay (2016). Another one was used on the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular soundtrack (2014). Other credits include arrangements for large and small ensembles, and arrangements for Introducing …, it Don’t Mean a Thing and Bullettes and Friends. Horn section writing was done for recordings by Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy. Orchestrations were also created for Maurice Hines’ critically acclaimed show Maurice Hines Tappin’ Thru Life. The Washington Women in Jazz Festival has several repertory performances, including “Collaboration in Jazz”, featuring the Music of Gerry Mulligan; “The Music of The International Sweethearts of Rhythm Mary Lou Williams and Melba Liston”, and “Sax in the City,” which features the music of Benny Carter and Gerry Mulligan. Leigh has a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Composition, Arranging and Music Theory from Berklee College of Music. She also holds Master’s degrees from The University of Maryland College Park in Jazz Studies and Saxophone performance. After her studies at Maryland, she was accepted into the PhD program in Musicology at The Catholic University of America. She majored in Music Theory. Later, she transferred to George Mason University and is currently completing a DMA. She is also a recipient the merit-based Presidential Scholarship. Leigh served as an adjunct professor at Towson University and the University of Maryland, where she taught Jazz Theory, Jazz Arranging and Jazz History. Leigh’s debut CD Strunkin’, recorded live at the Washington Women in Jazz Festival in March 2016, was released on October 21, 2016. from http://leighpilzer.com
