Leigh Pilzer Quartet

Leigh Pilzer is a Washington DC-based saxophonist, arranger and bandleader. She leads her own ensembles and is a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra. She also often performs with the National Symphony Orchestra in concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and on the orchestra’s nationally televised PBS holiday specials.

Leigh's arrangements can be heard on recordings by DIVA, including her original composition “East Coast Andy,” the opening track on The DIVA Jazz Orchestra 25th Anniversary Project (2018). Other arranging credits include horn section writing for recordings by Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy; and orchestrations for the critically acclaimed show Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life.

Leigh recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance with jazz emphasis from George Mason University. Her dissertation focused on motivic transformation in solos played by Gerry Mulligan. Leigh also holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Composition and Arranging from the Berklee College of Music and Master’s degrees in Jazz Studies and Saxophone Performance from the University of Maryland, College Park. Leigh has served on faculty at the University of Maryland, Towson University, and George Mason University, teaching Jazz Theory, Jazz Arranging, Jazz History, and Fundamentals of Rock, Blues, and Jazz.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Takoma Station Tavern, 6914 4th Street Northwest, Washington, United States