Lee Hicks ~ performing musician.

For more than 35 years, Lee Hicks has built a distinguished career as a music educator, professional performer, clinician, and leader in music education. Equally at home on the concert stage, in the recording studio, the orchestra pit, and the classroom, he has earned a reputation for musical excellence, versatility, and a lifelong commitment to developing young musicians.

As a professional multi-woodwind specialist, Lee performs extensively throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South on saxophone, clarinet, and flute. His performance experience includes appearances with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Saenger Theatre Broadway Orchestra, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) Broadway Pit Orchestra, Crescent River Orchestra, Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre Orchestra, Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra, Pat Barberot Orchestra, and the John Mahoney Big Band and Little Band. His diverse performing career has also included work with jazz, brass, soul, funk, rock, Latin, commercial, and contemporary ensembles throughout the region.

Throughout his career, Lee has shared the stage with an extraordinary list of internationally recognized artists, including Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Bernadette Peters, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Patti LaBelle, Debbie Boone, Martina McBride, Lou Rawls, Wayne Newton, Jerry Lewis, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vinton, Shirley Jones, The O'Jays, The Coasters, and acclaimed jazz drummer Brian Blade, among many others.

An accomplished recording musician, Lee's performance credits include recordings for Six Flags Entertainment, The National WWII Museum, numerous New Orleans composers and recording artists, the John Mahoney Big Band, and the internationally recognized vocal ensemble Five By Design.

As an educator, Lee spent 24 years as Director of Bands at Fontainebleau High School, where he developed one of Louisiana's most respected instrumental music programs. Under his leadership, the Fontainebleau Jazz Ensemble earned invitations to perform at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago and the Jazz Education Network International Conference, while also appearing at the French Quarter Festival and the prestigious Swing Central Jazz Competition in Savannah, Georgia. His students have also performed with and learned from some of today's most respected jazz artists, including Wycliffe Gordon, Allen Vizzutti, Doug Stone, Joey DeFrancesco, Stanton Moore, Jason Marsalis, T.J. Nichols, Mike Williams, George Porter Jr., Roland Guerin, Matt Lemmler, Mark Mullins, Bonerama, Dan Caro, and Ronnie Kole, while sharing the stage with legendary ensembles such as the Count Basie Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, and Maynard Ferguson and His Big Bop Nouveau.

Beyond the classroom and stage, Lee has remained deeply committed to advancing music education. He served as President of the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA) and has been an active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Jazz Education Network (JEN), and the Louisiana Association for Jazz Education (LAJE). In recognition of his lifelong contributions to jazz education, Lee was inducted into the Louisiana Association for Jazz Education (LAJE) Hall of Fame in 2022, one of the organization's highest honors. Through private instruction, guest clinics, adjudication, and educational leadership, he continues to mentor students and educators and to advocate for excellence in music education.

“I have been incredibly blessed and fortunate to experience opportunities throughout my career that many musicians only dream about. From performing alongside world-renowned artists to leading nationally recognized ensembles and serving music educators across Louisiana, I have never taken those experiences for granted. Each one has been both an honor and a reminder of our responsibility to invest in the next generation of musicians. Today, my greatest passion is sharing those experiences with students and educators, helping them discover their own potential and create opportunities of their own.” ~ Lee Hicks