Leah Wilson-Velasco

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Leah grew up playing the viola in New Mexico. She attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA where she managed a weekly concert series entitled "Fridays at Four" that aimed to provide a comfortable, informal atmosphere for the enjoyment of music.

Leah moved to Boston and began working for the Boston Symphony Orchestra as the Coordinator of Education and Community Programs. During her years with the BSO, Leah organized Youth Concert activities for classrooms and families, she also helped coordinate the Days in the Arts Program—an intensive arts immersion program for middle school students, and managed the BSO partnership with the community of Roxbury. 

In 2006, Leah became the General Manager of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO)—the orchestra of Boston’s medical community. During her time with the LSO, Leah led the orchestra on their first International tour to London. 

Leah received her Master’s in Music Education from Boston Conservatory in 2008 and became the Director of Operations and Education for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. In this position, she oversaw the complete operations and educational trajectories of 6 ensembles, comprised of 450 students, producing over 25 concerts each year in addition to weekly rehearsals, annual summer camps and one tour of England.

Leah became the CEO of the Walla Walla Symphony in 2011. In 2018, she received the Washington Governor’s Arts Award for Young Arts Leader, which recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the creative and cultural vitality of Washington State.