Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
Mount Si High School is located in the Snoqualmie Valley School District, 30 miles east of Seattle in the beautiful foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The Mount Si instrumental music program is comprised of over 200 student musicians. Mount Si Jazz was selected to perform at the 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Hot Java Cool Jazz Event hosted by Starbucks, has been recognized by numerous regional festivals, was a featured ensemble at the 2017 Midwest Band Clinic, the 2019 Western International Band Clinic (WIBC), and has been selected as an Essentially Ellington Finalist in 2014-2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. Mount Si Jazz students are hard-working and dedicated, rehearsing each morning at 6:40. They have student-led weekly sectionals, participate in weekly jam sessions, a monthly pro-am reading big band, evening rehearsals throughout the year, and welcome many of the top national and regional artists as guest performers and clinicians each year.
Mount Si High School Jazz Ensemble I
Conductor's Bio
William (Bill) Leather is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a degree in Music Education. At Indiana, Bill studied with Anthony Cirone, Steve Houghton and Gerald Carlyss, while performing with numerous ensembles including the Wind Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, Tom Walsh Jazz Ensemble, percussion ensemble, steel band, and was a three year member of the Marching Hundred drumline. Bill received his Bachelor of Music Education degree in December of 2005 after completing his student teaching at Carmel High School where he was an assistant instructor for the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony II, Wind Symphony III, all percussion classes and the 2005 Bands of America Grand National Champion Marching Greyhounds.
Bill received his Masters in Music degree in 2013 from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University and in 2016, finished his ninth and final year as an Associate Band Director at Penn High School (Mishawaka, IN). At Penn, he oversaw all aspects of the percussion and jazz programs, including directing the marching percussion section, all concert percussion sections, Percussion Ensembles, Intermediate Jazz Ensemble, Advanced Jazz ensemble, Jazz Combos, the After School Jazz Orchestra and assisted with the Freshmen Concert Band and Symphonic Band. The Penn Advanced Jazz Ensemble frequently achieved success at festivals throughout the Midwest and was named a top twelve finalist for the 2014 and 2016 Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah, GA. In 2008, Bill was an assistant conductor with the Penn Symphonic Band for their featured performance at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.
In the fall of 2016, Bill joined the music team at Mount Si High School as co-director of Bands. At Mount Si, Bill teaches Jazz, all wind bands, percussion ensemble and a West African Djembe class. Under Bill’s direction, Mount Si Jazz 1 has been a featured performer at the Midwest Clinic in 2017, and an Essentially Ellington finalist in 2019, 2020, and 2022. We are thrilled to be a featured performer at the 2024 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago this December! Bill resides in North Bend, WA with his wife Liz, daughters Mya and Makena, and son Greyson.
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