Spokane Symphony’s Arbor Crest Winery performance a passionate reminder for Leigh Wilson

Leigh Wilson, the Spokane Symphony’s principal percussionist, found his love for music through community performances in his Massachusetts hometown. When the symphony performs at Arbor Crest Winery, Wilson will explore his passion for “bringing the music to people” once again.

Although he started taking piano lessons as a child, it wasn’t until middle school band that Wilson found the art of rhythm, tempo and percussion.

Wilson’s role is general by design as “percussion” encompasses hundreds of instruments, from tambourine and xylophone to hand drums and marimba.

“Any day, you could be playing pretty wildly different instruments,” Wilson said. “That really keeps me on my toes … knowing where to be with what instruments, at what time, is honestly a huge part of it.”

He also joined the local community band of his hometown, Ayer, Massachusetts. Through the group, Wilson was performing in unique circumstances such as parades, festivals and community events.

“That was really formative,” Wilson said. “I just loved playing outside and feeling like a part of the community fabric.”

Wilson continued to grow as a musician while initially studying chemistry in college. Although he found similarity in the lifestyles, such as spending hours in the lab in comparison to time spent practicing, an urge to pursue music academically remained. As a result, he enrolled in the Harvard/New England Conservatory dual degree program and earned degrees in performance as well as chemistry.

“For every hour I was standing in front of a chemical hood in the lab, I was also supposed to be in the practice room,” Wilson said. “Even though the subject materials are so different, the kind of brain mindset you need for each one I think was actually pretty complementary.”

Wilson landed the role of principal percussionist for the Spokane Symphony in 2024 and recently wrapped up his second season with the orchestra. One aspect of the symphony that Wilson finds so special is the fact that the vast majority of musicians live in Spokane, something that isn’t common in orchestras across the country. Often, members will fly in to perform with their orchestra, but most Spokane Symphony musicians know each other outside of work.

Wilson also greatly appreciates the symphony owning their concert hall (another uncommon facet), but the performances outside the Fox Theater walls may be his favorite. It isn’t too unusual for the Spokane Symphony to venture to city parks or tour local schools. On Wednesday, they will display classical music beside the cliffside vineyards of Arbor Crest Winery.

Such performances bring Wilson back to his youth. He remains a firm believer that accessibility and outreach is a key factor in symphony and city relations.

“It reminds me of my roots in the community band, just going around and bringing music to people rather than making people come to us,” Wilson said. “Any time that we get a chance to meet an audience in a place that’s not strictly a concert hall, I think that can sometimes be the best place to make music.”

Wilson will be performing a set of solo pieces with a theme of “music inspired by jazz and blues.” The vibraphone will be on full display.

The notion of a solo used to terrify Wilson to the point of trying any so-called remedy, from bananas and oatmeal raisin cookies to an array of intense breathing exercises, but he has grown to enjoy the specific wave of adrenaline.

“What I’ve realized lately is that the audience is so excited to be there with you, like the audience wants to see you succeed,” Wilson said. “I got used to, in school, playing for teachers who were there to point out things that didn’t go quite right or things that you could do better, but in the professional world it’s all about what went well … No one is there to break you down.”

Wilson is also an instructor at Whitworth University, where he teaches percussion ensemble, percussion methods and lessons. Although only a few students have sought him out for chemistry homework, Wilson’s door is always open.

“Man, only a couple have asked, but they all know that I did chemistry,” Wilson laughed. “I ask, ‘What other classes are you taking?,’ and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m in O-Chem this semester.’ I’m like, ‘Well, just let me know because I know it, too!’ ”