Leah received a Bachelor’s Degree in Flute Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2018, where she studied with principal flutist of the Cleveland Orchestra, Joshua Smith. In 2020, Leah received her Master of Music in Flute Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied with renowned pedagogue and recitalist Alberto Almarza.
With a hornist for a dad and a flutist for a mom, Leah picked up the flute in elementary school, aspiring to follow in their footsteps. Her parents, who are public school band teachers, still serve as her greatest pedagogical influences, with learning rooted in compassion, confidence, joy, and commitment. Leah began teaching flute privately in high school, and is expanding her own educational studies currently by becoming Suzuki-certified.
In Cleveland, Leah worked for CIM’s award-winning Distance Learning program, connecting virtually with K-12 classrooms, senior centers, and juvenile detention centers worldwide to deliver interdisciplinary music classes. As a teacher and caregiver, Leah loves connecting with people of all ages, whether it be with an 8-year-old student making their first sounds on the flute, or with a 98-year-old who loves to crack jokes and watch the Joy of Painting together.
Leah is an animal lover, currently caring for two cats and a bearded dragon. When she isn’t playing the flute, you can find her reading, writing poetry, doing yoga (usually with the cats), and running.