Isabelle De Leon

"March to the tempo of your own beat," is a motto lived by Isabelle De Leon. Learning piano at age 4 and drums at age 7, she has spent all her life playing music. Throughout her childhood, Isabelle played drums in church and performed in countless ensembles including the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra and the Archdiocese of Washington Honors Band where she was featured on drumset. Now a senior at the University of Maryland, she is studying both jazz drums performance and pre-medicine, and is a distinguished College Park Scholar, Dean’s List student, and proud member of Sigma Alpha Iota National Music Fraternity. One of the few undergraduates in UMD’s top jazz ensemble, she attributes much of her growth to the mentoring by her teacher, Chuck Redd, with whom she has also had the privilege to perform around the DC area. In 2008 she won the Washington Post Music and Dance Scholarship Award for her performance on drums. In April 2011, she was a featured performer with the Leigh Pilzer and Jen Kruppa quintet at the Smithsonian National American History Museum for a celebration of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm and the launching of Jazz Appreciation Month. In the summer of 2011 she was awarded the Stanley Kay Scholarship by the DIVA Jazz Orchestra to attend the New York Summer Festival, where she had the privilege of working with renowned faculty such as Justin DiCioccio, Dick Oates, and David Tull. Just this past December she was selected to be the drummer for the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, an honors college band comprised of students from schools along the east coast. This January, she performed with them at the Kennedy Center under the direction of renowned composer and arranger, Mike Tomaro, and in April, in Cumberland, MD. Most recently, she was selected to be a Strathmore Artist-in-Residence for the 2012-2013 season and will be featured at the Strathmore Mansion during the month of April. Despite all this, she manages to practice and perform regularly with her family band, Ivy Rose, where she is a contributing songwriter and arranger, backup vocalist, the drummer and recording pianist. Continually gaining prominence in the DC music scene, they have played at venues such as the Kennedy Center, DAR Constitution Hall, the DC Armory, and in cities like Toronto, ON and New York City. In April 2010 they had the honor to open for Weezer and Ben Folds at the University of Maryland’s Byrd Stadium after winning a battle of the bands competition at UMD. They also placed 2nd at the Next Big Thing Tour Battle of the Bands at the 9:30 Club and 1st at Quest Battle of the Bands. Most recently, from December 2011-January 2012, they toured in the Philippines and were guests on multiple radio and TV shows. This year they were featured on the 2012 season of NBC's America's Got Talent and made it as far as the semi-final round in Las Vegas. Isabelle is thankful to God, her family, teachers and friends who have supported her along the way and is grateful for all the privileges she has had. Drummer. Songwriter. Lover of life, family & friends