Musicians

(Left to Right: Wayne Leechford. Tasi Matthews, Jim Williams, Lanette Lind)

Wayne Leechford - Saxophones, Clarinets
Wayne Leechford is a multi-instrumental woodwind perfomer and music instructor. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He is adjunct professor of saxophone North Carolina State University and teaches privately at his studios in Raleigh and Cary. In addition to Free Spirits Ensemble, he has performed with New Century Saxophone Quartet, NC Wind Orchestra, Raleigh Symphony, Tar River Orchestra and Symphonic Band, Raleigh Civic Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, NC Theatre, Broadway Series South, SunTrust Broadway Series, and many others. wayneleechford.com

Lanette Lind - Artistic Director, Piano
Lanette Lind has composed concert music, as well as music for theatre, dance, and documentary films.  Major orchestras including the St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, and Rochester Philharmonic have performed her symphonic works.  A Celebration of Spirituals, for chorus and orchestra, was recently performed at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  Her musical theater works have been presented at the American Music Festival and Lincoln Center among others.  She has received numerous commissions and awards, including the National Music Theater Network, Raleigh Medal of Arts, ASCAP, Marquis'Who's Who, Cornell University, the United Arts and the North Carolina Arts Commission. She is presently happily engaged in writing a work for rock band and symphony orchestra.

Tasi Matthews, Violin
Originally from Charlotte, NC, has been active as a chamber, orchestral, and freelance musician in the Triangle area since 1997. She has performed with the Greensboro Symphony, Durham Symphony, Chapel Hill Chamber Orchestra, Oleander Chamber Orchestra, Opera Company of NC and Capital Opera. Currently she is the Concertmaster of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra and also plays with the Free Spirits Ensemble and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. From 1997-2003, Tasi served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and now teaches violin lessons for all ages at her private studio in Apex. She began her musical studies at the age of four with Mary Jane Kirkendol and continued her musical education at UNC, earning her Bachelor of Music degree while studying with Richard Luby. She also earned her Masters of Music from the NC School of the Arts in Winston Salem, where she studied with Kevin Lawrence. In addition to teaching and performing, Tasi enjoys spending time with her husband, Jason, and their three children.

Jim Williams - Clarinet
Jim plays principal clarinet in the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, the Tar River Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle.  Mr. Williams also plays with the North Carolina Wind Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony.  He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Florida and a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.  He taught instrumental music and theory at North Carolina Wesleyan College and clarinet at East Carolina University.