Biography
About Leia
Whether on stage or in the classroom, Leia has found a multitude of avenues to express her love for music and for people.
Leia received her Doctor of Musical Arts from Arizona State University (ASU) where she focused her research on contemporary vocal pedagogy. Her dissertation, "Classical to Contemporary: The Evolution of Classical Vocal Pedagogy in a Contemporary Studio" reviews vocal pedagogy from the Western Classical canon, and translates that vocal health to the genres of pop, gospel, country, music theatre, and jazz. This paper contains vocal warmups geared towards various genres, repertoire lists and analysis for teachers and students to feel more confident choosing songs in multiple styles, and a deeper analysis of specific songs and how one can teach/learn to sing them. Her writing also focuses on vocal stylizations in the contemporary realm, such as vocal agility (riffs/runs), and vocal improvisation.
Her Masters in Music, also from ASU, focused on classical and musical theatre vocal performance. Her research in her masters dove into choral singing, specifically vibrato when related to solo classical literature versus choral literature, and the healthy ways to be able to switch between both genres. She holds her Bachelor of Arts degree from The Pennsylvania State University.
A private vocal coach for over a decade, Leia has assisted her students towards successes in regional, community, and professional music theatre auditions, college music theatre and classical voice programs, Carnegie Hall Honors Choir performances, regional and state choir auditions, and NATS district, regional, and national competitions. She is currently the Artistic Director of the Music Theatre department at Mesa Community College (MCC) where she music directs or directs all musical theatre productions, is the Voice Area Lead at MCC and is responsible for all aspects of voice faculty and students, teaches private voice lessons, Broadway Solos, Class Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, and Audition Techniques classes. Leia received an AriZoni nomination in 2023 for Best Music Direction for her Vocal Direction for MCC's production of Something Rotten, as well a nomination in 2022 for Best Music Direction for her Vocal Direction for ASU's production of Bright Star. She won an AriZoni for Best Music Direction for her work on MCC's Hunchback of Notre Dame in 2024, and her direction of Be More Chill won the show Best Overall Production in 2024.
Leia specializes in using traditional vocal pedagogy to teach singers how to sound authentic in whatever genre they choose to sing, while maintaining vocal health. She provides masterclasses and workshops all over the Phoenix area in musical theatre, pop/rock techniques, and riffing, as well as vocal health and vocal pedagogy clinics. Her most recent clinic was for the Arizona Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (AzACDA) where she lectured on "Vocal Health in the Choral Classroom".
Along with teaching, you can find Leia on the stage or behind the mic in various professional choirs, musical theatre productions, and gigs across the Valley. She is currently an alto in the Grammy-award winning Phoenix Chorale and has sung, recorded, and soloed with the Chorale since 2015. Leia has toured all over the world performing choral works with Canto Vivo Chorale and Essence of Joy, has performed with The Rolling Stones and Michael Bublé, and has sang under the direction of Ramin Djawadi in the Game of Thrones National Tour. She has also been on stage with Arnie Roth and the Phoenix Symphony in the national tour of Distant World: Music from Final Fantasy, sung with the Phoenix Bach Society, Arizona State University's Gospel Choir, The King's Carolers, and is currently a worship leader at Saint Thomas More. The last few musical theatre productions Leia has performed in are Godspell at ASU, and Bernstein's Mass also at ASU, along with participating in the Phoenix Theatre Company's New Works Festival. One of her favorite roles was Judy Bernly in Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 under the direction of Trisha Ditsworth, where she was nominated for an AriZoni award for Best Leading Actress. She was most recently seen on the Herberger stage in Phoenix, AZ in Ragtime with Arizona MusicFest, under the direction of Mark Stoddard and music direction of Josh Condon.
Currently, you can find Leia directing or music directing the latest Mesa Community College musical theatre production, providing masterclasses around the Phoenix area, or singing professionally in gigs, choirs, or musical theatre productions. She will be Music Director for MCC's production of Mean Girls fall 2026, and directing Come From Away spring 2027.
Leia's goal in life is to bring joy and encouragement to all those who wish to learn how to sing, and to those who hear her perform.
