As CEO of the Walla Walla Symphony, Leah Wilson-Velasco '03 brings people together through music. Starting with her undergraduate work managing the Fridays at Four recital series at Whitman College, Wilson-Velasco found her calling in the arts administration field. After graduation, she moved across the country to intern for the North Carolina Symphony and then moved to Boston, where she worked at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This experience lead her to purse a masters degree in music education, while also working at the Longwood Symphony, an orchestra in the Boston medical community, that helped raise funds for local medical nonprofits.
After receiving her master's degree, Wilson-Velasco worked as the director of operations and education for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she oversaw the operations of six different ensembles and organized 25 concerts a year with over 400 students. After eight years in Boston, Leah moved back to Walla Walla to take on the role as CEO at the Walla Walla Symphony, where she once interned at when she was a Whitman student. During her time at the Walla Walla Symphony, she has been an integral part of evolving the longstanding Youth and Family Concerts into a more meaningful experience for local students by collaborating with music teachers in the Walla Walla Public Schools through the "Link Up" program, a partnership with Carnegie Hall in New York City.
"Music education is the part that is nearest and dearest to my heart," she said. "It's what I did my master's work in. I grew up as the daughter of a music educator, and really believe that music should be a fundamental part of education and growth in children."
Wilson-Velasco has now served as the CEO of the Walla Walla Symphony for eight years. Last fall, she won the Washington Governor's Arts Award for Young Arts Leader for her contributions to art in the community.