EDUCATION

• Master of Fine Arts in World Percussion- California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA  (1998-2000)

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music- California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA (1994 - 1997)

• Ali Akbar College of Music, San Rafael, CA
  (July - August 2002, 2004)

• Summer Workshop in South Indian drumming with Trichy Sankaran, Toronto, Ontario (June 2001)

• Simon Frasier University Summer Percussion Program, Vancouver, B.C., (June1996)

SPECIFIC TRAINING

• Ghanaian Drumming (West African) -
  Teachers Alfred and Kobla Ladzekpo (1994 -2003)

• Frame Drumming
  Teachers John Bergamo, Glen Velez, Randy Gloss
  (1994 - 2003)

• Tabla (North Indian Drum)
  Teachers Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, John Bergamo, Randy Gloss (1995-current)

• Kanjira, Solkattu (South Indian drum and rhythmic theory)
  Teachers Trichy Sankarn and Poovalar Srinivasan

           (1995- 2002)

• Classical Flute
  Teachers Salley Faye, Rachel Rudich (1984 - 1996)

• North Indian Flute 
  Teacher Rageev Taranath (1996- 1999)

• Composition
  Teachers Mike Fink, Alan Chaplin (1995-200)

ENSEMBLES

• Marla Leigh Solo "Drumming Meditation Concerts"
  (September 2004 - Current)

• Percussionist, Flautist , Composer, “Marla Leigh’s Perkusiv En’semb” (May 2001- current)

• Percussionist/Flautist, “Spidermonkey” (June2000- January 2002)

• Percussionist/Flautist, "Tonya and Marla” (June 2001 – current)  

COMPOSER

• Composed works for "Holding Up the Sky", a dance piece (March 2003)

• Composer for “The Cello”, a animation film by Roxanne Patruznick (June 2000)

• Composer for “Ladies of Oshun”, a dance piece choreographed by Dani Lunn (May 1999)

 EDUCATOR

• Drumming Retreat Facilitator and Organizer
  - "Women's Drumming and  Yoga Retreat",
           Big Island Hawaii (April 2003, 2004)

•  Hand Drumming Teaching Assistant 
   California Institute of the Arts
  (September 1999- current)

• Drumming workshops:

  • Center for Spiritual Studies, Topanga, CA

  • Topanga Studios

  • Ruach Ranch, Topanga, CA 

  • Yoga Yoga Studios, Valencia, CA 

  • California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA

  • Bang A Drum, Los Angeles, CA

  • San Geronimo Cultural Center, San Geronimo, CA

  • Kalani Retreat Center, Big Island, Hawaii

• Music Teacher at International School of the Hague,
  The Netherlands (June 1996)

• Music Teacher at Village Camps, Sabres, France
   (June 1995)

PERFORMANCES

• Whole Earth Festival (April 2002) -
  Performance with Marla Leigh’s “Perkusiv En’sembe”

• California Institute of the Arts Spring Music Festivals

  • CalArts Tabla ensemble lead by Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri and Randy Gloss (March 2002, 2003)

  • CalArts Gamelan lead by Nyomen Wenton (with special guests Poovalar Srinivasaan and Trichy Sankaran)(March 2000)

  • CalArts African Ensemble lead by Kobla Ladzekpo, Beatrice Lawlvi and Alfred Ladzekpo ( March 1997-2001)

  • CalArts World Music Ensemble lead by John Bergamo and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri (March 1999)

• The Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, CA - Performance with “Marla Leigh’s Perkusiv En’semb” (May 2001)

• Bali Festival - Flautist with Nyoman Wenton and the CalArts Balinese Ensemble (June 2000)

• WHYTHM, Woman in World Music, Art and Dance, Creator/Producer, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia CA (April 2000)

• International Music Festival, Luzerne, Switzerland (July 1996) - Solo performance 

GRANTS/SCHOLARSHIP

• Paul Roth Scholarship- Money awarded for future travel to study Middle Eastern drumming in Israel (August 2001)

• Hostelling International Travel Grant - Money to further my studies of South Indian drumming at the Bhavan Center in London, England (June 2000)

DISCOGRAPHY

• Album by John Bergamo, (2003)
  (release date and title coming soon)

• "Division By Zero", featuring Marla Leigh and Richard Grossman (July 2003)

• “Inside Turbulent Amber” - Music by Marla Leigh ( September 2001)

• California Institute of the Arts Women Composers CD (1998- 2000)