Staff

After over 20 years as a performing bassoonist, 15 years as a music professor, and 10 years as an arts administrator, Lecolion Washington has established himself as a leader for the next generation of arts entrepreneurs; and he has been a staunch advocate for the relevance of music as an agent for social change.
 
Lecolion is the Executive Director of Community Music Center of Boston. Prior to moving to Boston, Lecolion was the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the PRIZM Ensemble in Memphis from 2009-2017, and he was the founder of the PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival. In 2015, he was named as one of the Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40. He was selected as a 2019 Musical America’s Top Professional of the Year honoring Innovators, Independent Thinkers and Entrepreneurs, celebrated as a 2020 Boston HUBWeek “Change Maker”, and he is the 2020 Chamber Music America Conference Planning Committee Chair. He was selected as one of Musical America’s 2019 Professionals of the Year honoring Innovators, Independent Thinkers and Entrepreneurs, celebrated as a 2020 Boston HUBWeek “Change Maker”, and was a 2020 Chamber Music America Conference Planning Committee Chair. Lecolion was a recipient of the Sphinx’s Organization’s MPower Artist Grant to support a mentorship initiative for young artists and entrepreneurs in 2020-21.
 
As a bassoonist, Lecolion has performed solo recitals and master classes at colleges and universities all over the world. He has been a featured solo and chamber musician throughout the U.S., Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and Switzerland among others. As an orchestral musician, Lecolion has performed as guest principal and/or co-principal bassoon with orchestras such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. He served on the faculty of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa from 2006-2013. His CD entitled “Legacy: Music for Bassoon by African-American Composers” was released on the Albany Records label.

Cori is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received a M.S in Music Industry Leadership from Northeastern University where she was an MLK Graduate Fellow and a B.M. in Violin Performance and Music Industry Studies from Loyola University of New Orleans. Prior to joining CMCB she worked in youth development and higher education as an advocate for educational access and diversity and inclusion programs. Outside of work she plays violin in the Warwick Symphony Orchestra in Rhode Island where she participates in several ensembles and serves on the Board of Directors for JP Kids Arts. In her freetime she enjoys baking, riding her bike, exploring the amazing food scene in Providence, RI. 

With 15+ years of operational leadership roles spanning financial services, e-commerce and the non-profit sector, Meghan brings deep finance and strategic planning expertise to CMCB. Meghan graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Pennsylvania State University before obtaining her MBA from Columbia Business School. Meghan currently serves on the Board of Project STEP and the Board of Advisors for Boston Public Market. While Meghan is undoubtedly the least musically accomplished member of the staff, she is passionate about CMCB’s mission and is the proud parent of an Early Childhood Program student.

Zach Sheets is a musician and arts administrator with a long history of advocating for funding in the arts. He has secured major funding partnerships in the public and private sectors at the 5-, 6-, and 7-figure levels, for work spanning music education, arts-sector workforce development, racial equity, arts and health outcomes, and the creation of new artistic works. He has spoken on the importance of youth development, cultural equity, and arts education before the Massachusetts Legislature, the Mass Cultural Council, Chamber Music America National Conference, Council for Advancement and Support of Education National Conference, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Zach held various senior leadership roles with performing arts ensembles in New York City before joining CMCB in 2018. Zach has taught music throughout New York and New England, including in the NYC Public Schools, and currently mentors students in CMCB’s youth employment program. Throughout his philanthropic and pedagogical work, Zach is a strong advocate for centering the voices of youth and communities in the conversations that most impact them.

As a flutist, Zach has performed with the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA, Phoenix Chamber Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and many more. At 23 he won a tenured role as Principal Flute in the Cape Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 8 seasons.

Ariel is a composer, choral director, violinist, and singer who has founded choral programs and a string ensemble in the Boston and Cambridge Public Schools. Ariel brings eight years of general music education experience to the CMCB Family as well as musicianship as she recorded with the North Shore Youth Symphony Orchestra. Ariel is a Boston native who has a passion for diversity and inclusion in music education, “as music educators, we have a fundamental duty to provide multiple avenues for students to access music education, we must teach music, for music’s sake.” During her teaching career Ariel co-facilitated diversity dialogues in the hopes of inspiring educators to become more culturally inclusive and responsive. Ariel has written and developed curricula that was shared with other music educators and has co-led workshops centering in equity for professional development. Ariel has partnered with Boston Children’s Chorus and her choral groups attended American Young Voices. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cambridge College and is currently pursuing her masters in Music Education from Gordon College. Additionally she has received certification of completion from the Berklee Institution for Arts Education and Special Needs.

Jessica received her M.A. in Child Development from Tufts University and worked at the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras before starting at CMCB. Although she now works in Arts Administration, her past musical experience includes playing piano, flute, and singing. Outside of CMCB, she is actively involved in the contemporary a cappella community, serving as the Executive Producer for the NE Voices Festival and participating on the Board of Directors at the Contemporary A Cappella Society. Some of her other interests include playing video games, watching football, and petting all the dogs.

Christopher Perry is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in music therapy.  Whether working with adults with developmental disabilities, children with special needs, Early Intervention, or children with autism, Christopher has a passion for connecting with others through music.  He has experience practicing music therapy with groups and individuals, in classrooms, homes and community spaces.

Marcela is a jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and educator. Before joining CMCB, she received her bachelor’s degree in Jazz Composition and Piano Performance from Berklee College of Music in 2020 and has been teaching and performing throughout the Boston area. Growing up in Mexico, Marcela got deeply interested in jazz artists who would inspire her to pursue a music career in the United States. Following her passion, she moved to Boston in 2016. Soon after starting her studies at Berklee, she began working in the assistive music technology program at the school, which provides adapted music software instruction and assistance with projects to blind and visually impaired students. This experience soon became a crucial step in her career, leading her to share her experience and collaborate to improve fellow blind musicians’ technology resources. She has helped with beta testing software, providing feedback about accessibility to software developers, and has successfully completed various projects through music technology. Currently, she continues to expand her musical journey through teaching, composing, performing, and collaborating with various organizations in the music industry.

Abby is a singer, traveler, and peacebuilder originally from Topsfield, MA. Following a degree in Music in 2012, she toured for a year with the international singing group Up with People throughout the US, Mexico, and Europe. Abby is a career changer and comes to CMCB with four years of experience working in business management in the group travel industry. She is currently working on a Masters in Peace & Justice Leadership and is passionate about combining music and community building. Abby is a classically trained mezzo-soprano and continues to explore and work with her voice in sacred and secular spaces around Boston.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Elizabeth is a classically trained violinist, teacher, and performer who looks at working in arts administration as a way of giving back to her community. She is a graduate of Longy School of Music with her M.M in Violin Performance, prior to which she was at Boston College studying Applied Psychology and Human Development. She has volunteered and taught at schools such as Gardner Pilot Academy and Conservatory Lab Charter School in Dorchester and hopes to continue supporting musical education through fostering healthy and positive relationships with all the employees at CMCB.  Currently she plays with the Apollo Ensemble to satisfy her love for orchestral repertoire – when she is not practicing she enjoys spoiling her pet bunny and cats (2!).

Originally from Austin, Texas, Rachel began playing piano at age five, and steadily fell in love with learning and exploring music. She became a music therapist by pursuing her B.M. in Music Therapy at Berklee College of Music (’16), and has experience working in outpatient and inpatient hospital settings, with children and teenagers with disabilities, and in mental health. She expanded her macro- and mezzo-level knowledge of community interventions when pursuing her MSSW and MPH, and focused on person-centered engagement and advocacy. She brings a passion for community organizing, advocacy through storytelling, and program creation. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking, and cheering on the Red Sox. 

Lexi, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received her BA in Cultural Anthropology and International Affairs with a Spanish minor from Northeastern University. From playing piano since childhood to continuing her passion for singing, dancing, and acting throughout college, Lexi is excited to combine her professional experience in community engagement with her passion for music accessibility. Her previous experience includes advocating for communities in Boston at Northeastern’s Office of City and Community Engagement, leading programming at a community center in Ecuador with Manna Project International, and interning in Development and Events at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Outside of work, Lexi enjoys traveling, reading, and jamming with her friends on the piano.

Joi is a composer, vocalist, teaching artist, and administrator originally from Portsmouth, VA. In their artistry, they strive to expose individuals to the vast world of musical possibilities and connect the love of music with a foundation of valuable life lessons and skills. Their music focuses on exploring our world and commenting on our unique experiences (learn more at joiharper.com). Though she originally came to Boston to pursue her Master’s, she is so happy to have found a great network and is excited to become more involved within the Boston community. Joi recently finished their M.M. in Composition at Longy School of Music and has a B.M. in Composition from George Mason University. In their free time, Joi enjoys a plethora of different hobbies, including making and eating great food, crafting, and exploring new places and activities.

Emily is a lifelong musician with a background in finance and data analysis. She has a Bachelor of Brass Performance and a Bachelor of Statistics from Boston University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Arts Administration from Boston University as well as a Masters in Finance from Bentley University. She volunteers as Director of Finance and Principal Trumpet of the Apollo Ensemble of Boston and has played with the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, was manager and a member of the Boston University Trumpet Ensemble, and gigs around Greater Boston. Additionally, Emily serves on the Board of Directors for ātac Framingham, where she is also on the Finance Committee, and works per diem as a grant writer for Upbeat New Hampshire. In her spare time, she enjoys doing yoga and spending time outdoors with her dog, Gigi.

Taylor Lents is a percussionist/timpanist, educator, and arts administrator originally from Blue Ridge, GA. She received her M.M. from the New England Conservatory and her B.M. from the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. As an orchestral musician, Taylor has performed percussion and timpani with various regional orchestras across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest, and most recently served as a Percussion Fellow with The Orchestra Now (TŌN) at Bard College. In addition to her performance pursuits, she has remained interested and engaged with the ways in which she can serve her communities, leading her to work in various administrative roles throughout her studies. In the summer of 2020, she partnered with conductor and colleague Emily Eng to form the non-profit Lift Music Fund, dedicated to making achievement in music more accessible and equitable. Through their work as an educator, Taylor has presented masterclasses to students throughout Georgia, served as a Percussion Coach in the NEC Prep School, and was invited to serve as a faculty member at the 2022 YOLA National Festival. Outside of her musical pursuits, Taylor enjoys spending time outside or at home with her two cats Cedar and Sage, enjoying tasty coffee, and reading.

April Medina, originally from Dallas, Texas, has a passion for the arts. Her arts experience has mainly centered around Theater, specifically technical support as well as arts activism. Her professional experience ranges from helping to establish the presence of the “We Were Here” art installation which focuses on embracing diversity and centering Black voices in the town of Danville, Kentucky, supervising the Centre College scene shop, and working alongside equity professionals in the theater arts. April holds a Bachelors in Anthropology and Sociology from Centre College and is bilingual in Spanish and English. April is excited to be a part of a community that is dedicated to making change in music education. 

Kevin is a double bassist, educator, and composer originally from Manassas, Virginia. He is a versatile musician with a rich background in multiple musical worlds beyond western classical, including bluegrass, metal, and many different experimental spheres. His love for a wide variety of musical cultures (and his affinity for blending them together) lent itself well to education, where he could draw upon a wealth of musical knowledge to address many students’ needs. He has taught in the Boston Public School system as well as privately, and continues to perform on a freelance basis when possible. Outside of music, Kevin is an avid fan of marine biology, and will occasionally insert unexpected details about deep-sea life into casual conversation.

Kenneth Wilson is an actor (stage and screen) and singer. Originally from Durham, N.C., he holds a BA in Spanish from N.C. Central University and has called Boston home the past 15 years. Under an alias, he has fronted and written with various pop, rock and cover bands in the New England area. (His record is fronting three simultaneously.) Kenneth also worked with members of the Grammy-winning Winans family (in partnership with Emerson) in a workshop of their own musical. As an actor, Kenneth has done commercials, theatre (including musical!), has toured nationally and appears in three seasons of a web series. 

Jingyi is an arts administrator who is originally from China. She received her M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University and is interested in the performing arts as well as community development. She spent time as a Marketing and Development intern at Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK). During her internship she developed a greater interest and curiosity in arts education and looks forward to bringing her passion and energy to CMCB. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her cat, photographing, and making handmade earrings.