ATHENA MUSIC AND LEADERSHIP CAMP

Jennifer Theisen-Gray is an accomplished music educator and band director dedicated to excellence in performance, instruction, and student development. She currently serves as Director of Bands at William M. Colmer Middle School in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a position she has held since 2020, and will begin her tenure as Director of Bands at DeKalb Arts Academy in Georgia, in the upcoming school year.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Florida A&M University where she studied conducting under Dr. Julian E. White and Dr. Shelby R. Chipman and flute and piccolo with Mrs. Dennine White. She also holds a Master of Music Education from Boston University, an Education Specialist degree in Music Education from Piedmont University, and a Master of Business Administration in Cybersecurity from Florida Institute of Technology. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Belhaven University.

Mrs. Theisen-Gray began her teaching career at Howell L. Watkins Middle School in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she built the Seminole Band program from its inception to an enrollment exceeding 350 students. Her professional experience also includes serving as Director of Bands at Miller Grove Middle School in Decatur, Georgia, and Bennett’s Mill Middle School in Fayetteville, Georgia, where her ensembles consistently earned superior ratings at concert assessments and solo and ensemble evaluations. She also assisted Dr. Myra Rhoden with the award-winning Fayette County High School Marching and Concert Bands. Under her leadership, the William M. Colmer Symphonic Band was selected as the premier middle school ensemble for the 88th Mississippi Bandmasters Association State Conference. 

Mrs. Theisen-Gray is an active member of several professional organizations, including the National Association for Music Education, Mississippi Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, and the Association of Black Women Band Directors (charter member). She currently serves as President of the Mississippi Women Band Directors Association and is also a member of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Alessandra Liebmann is a horn player from Buffalo, New York. She recently graduated from Rice University with her Masters in Music Performance, and she holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University where she studied music performance and sociology. Her primary teachers were Gail Williams, Jonathan Boen, and Elizabeth Freimuth. She is a sought after freelancer, and has performed with several orchestras across the country, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, San Antonio Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Sarasota Orchestra. Starting in the fall of 2026, Alessandra will be playing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra throughout their season. Alessandra is passionate about teaching, and has taught several middle school and high school students during her time in Houston. When she isn’t practicing, performing, or teaching, Alessandra loves to read, swim, and craft!

Athena performance courtesy of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra