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Picture of Marla Leigh (271x205 -- 28417 bytes) MARLA LEIGH

 

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)

 

 

 

Copyright 2006 Marla Leigh