BIOGRAPHY
Lex Leigh began playing the violin at age 3½ and piano at age 4. Though classically trained, he became interested in jazz while in elementary school. Since the school already had a pianist in the band, his career in jazz violin was born. One year later, he started playing jazz piano as well. In 1996, he joined the Hull's Angels Jazz Band, a youth Dixieland jazz band based in Fresno, CA. This band performed up and down the West Coast at numerous traditional jazz festivals including the Sacramento Trad Jazz Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival as well as a tour of New Orleans. The Hull's Angels released the CD "Hull's Angels: Flying High" in 1997.
In 1994, Lex was awarded a Proclamation by the Fresno City Council and Mayor Jim Patterson for his Random Acts of Kindness for his work with the Poverello House, a homeless shelter in Fresno. Every holiday season, Lex raised money by playing his violin (and later piano as well) in local shopping centers and donated this money to the Poverello House. He also played seasonal tunes during the Poverello House's annual Christmas lunch.
In 1997, Lex joined the Swingin' Gate Jazz Band, a youth traditional jazz band again based in Fresno. This band performed all around the Central Valley and was also invited to the Monterey Jazz Festival, among others.
In 1998, while attending Phillips Academy Andover, Lex participated in numerous musical groups including the Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra, and the Jazz Orchestra, as well as numerous chamber ensembles and small jazz groups. Lex was featured playing George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on the Chamber Orchestra's China Tour in June of 2001, visiting cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. He also participated in many theatre/music collaborations including being Assistant Music Director for Man of La Mancha and Music Director for Cabaret. Lex was a featured pianist at the Graduation ceremony.
In the Fall of 2002, Lex was accepted to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. While attending Berklee, he was contacted by renown jazz pianist Kei Akagi, the head of the Jazz Program at the University of California, Irvine. Shortly after, Lex transferred to UCI, where he studied full-time with Professor Akagi and performed in the UCI Symphony Orchestra, the UCI Jazz Orchestra, and numerous small combos.
Lex performed with MIMENSIS, a funk/jazz/fusion group which had it's last performance on 5/28/05. He also played with Three Blind Mice (jazz, blues, & rock 'n roll), and Four-For-Now (traditional jazz and bebop).
Lex has collaborated with CADC, a hip-hop dance team based at UCI on several occasions. The most notable was BUSTAGROOVE 2004, a hip-hop dance competition in San Diego, where CADC placed third with their piece "Bang Bang".
In 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, Lex served as Musical Coordinator for the DeltaGamma sorority for UCI's Greek Songfest. Each year, the Greek fraternities and sororities team up and perform 12 minute versions of musicals. In addition to transcribing, arranging, and recording these abridged musicals so the vocalists could sing along to them, Lex tutored the vocalists in the music. Lex worked with DeltaGamma and PiKappaAlpha on Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, DeltaGamma and SigmaPhiEpsilon on Fosse (which placed second), DeltaGamma and SigmaChi on The 25th Annual Putnam County Bee (which placed first, as well as earning the award for best musical number), DeltaGamma and AlphaEpsilonPi on All Shook Up (which came in second), and DeltaGamma and Phi Kappa Psi on Mamma Mia! (which won second place best in show as well as Overall Winner).
In 2005, Lex was Assistant Musical Director/Pianist for the UCI Drama Department's presentation of Bat Boy: The Musical.
In June 2006, Lex once again performed George Gershiwn's Rhapsody in Blue, this time being accompanied by the UCI Symphony Orchestra. However, this time, Lex had studied the piece with Kei Akagi, and was approaching it as a jazz pianist would. This meant embellishing the melody and taking improvised cadenzas.
In 2007, Lex was Assistant Musical Director for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes at UCI. In addition to being AMD for this project, he also arranged a number of the pieces in the show, as well as re-wrote the finale.
In 2008, Lex served as Assistant Musical director for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts production of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. This was the first joint production between the Drama, Music, and Dance departments at the Claire Trevor School.
In 2009, Lex performed in the pit for Theatre 360's production of Babes in Toyland at the Pasadena Playhouse as well as Saddleback College's performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Between 2010 and 2011, Lex served as Music Director at Saddleback College. In that time he music directed Snoopy!, Urinetown, Bat Boy: The Musical, and Aida. He also Music Directed the Saddleback Civic Light Opera's production of Oklahoma!, in the summer of 2011, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the summer of 2012.
Lex recently Vocal Directed a production of Bye, Bye Birdie at Aliso Niguel High School, as well as the Mainstage Kids production of Jungle Book Jr. at Saddleback College.
Lex is now Music Directing "Les Miserables: School Edition" at Aliso NIguel High School, "SideShow" at SOCSA at Dana Hills High, and "Legally Blonde" at Saddleback College.
Lex can be seen playing solo, with the Lex Leigh Trio, with Japanese Game Show, and with many other spontaneous jazz groups. Lex also does work arranging and transcribing music as well as pit and accompaniment work.
Lex has performed or studied with: Kei Akagi, Darek Oles, Sherman Ferguson, Charles Owens, Gary Busby, Stephen Tucker, Bobby Rodriguez, Joey Sellers, George McMullen, Dwight Trible, Ernie Andrews, Abe Most, Steve Homan, Fast Eddie Erickson, Bill Dendle, Rusty Stiers, Bob Secor, Eddie Metz Jr, Tom Kubis, Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, Steve Hunt, John Arcaro, Fernando Huergo, Rich Appleman, Eyran Katsenelenbogen, Matt "Tubop" Perrine, Kevin Rayhill, Ed Hull, Bob Embry, the Saddleback Big Band, and the Blue Street Jazz Band.
Lex has performed at many venues including: The Jazz Bakery, The House of Blues (Anaheim), The Mint, The Roxy, The Boogie, RAIN, Marlin's Bar and Grill, TC's Bar, Club Static, The Airliner, The Delta Queen Riverboat, The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), The Berklee Performance Center, The William Sarroyan Theatre (Fresno), The University of California Irvine, and the UCI Anthill Pub and Grill.
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