The Left Coast Quintet is a collaboration between five San Diego musicians who formed the group to perform, educate, inspire, and entertain. Now one of the premier music ensembles in San Diego, the quintet is regularly seen at music festivals, community engagements, and renowned venues bringing a unique version of melody and charm to audiences across all ages and backgrounds.
LCQ was founded in 2014, and each of us individually has over 25 years of performance experience with symphony orchestras, musical stage productions, & touring bands in and around Southern California.
LCQ was founded in 2014, and each of us individually has over 25 years of performance experience with symphony orchestras, musical stage productions, & touring bands in and around Southern California.
LEFT COAST QUINTET MUSICIANS:
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Bassoon: Dan Weiss
Hi! I'm the Founder & Artistic Director of LCQ. I was born and raised in El Paso, TX, and came to California to study at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I loved the beautiful Central Coast, mountain biking, bonfires & bbq's, and a little bit of studying here and there. I had the pleasure to perform with some professional and fun symphony groups, as well as travel up and down the state to perform in festivals and at private events. Since moving to San Diego, I've kept myself busy performing in symphony groups and with theatre stage production orchestras. I've had the opportunity of crossing over into the pop music world while performing with Jason Mraz, Evanescense, and Lindsey Stirling. I'm married to a wonderful middle school science teacher, and you can find us with our pup Watson on trips to OB dog beach, Fiesta Island, checking out local restaurants in our neighborhood of University Heights, hikes at Mt. Laguna, going to concerts, and plenty of bonfires and bbq's with friends. My day job revolves around running emergency management and response activities for the State of CA. Let me introduce you to the rest of the quintet below: |
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Flute: Erica Gamble
Erica is an insanely talented flute player and a very smiley, happy person. She's achieved degrees in biology and psychology, with a minor in music performance from the University of California, San Diego. She has been a member of the La Jolla Symphony for over 20 years and has performed with various local ensembles including the San Luis Rey Chorale, Rose Canyon Harmonie, Villa Musica, and the North Coast Singers. Thankfully she landed on becoming an expert on flute, but her early musical adventures also included piano, alto sax, and marching snare drum. In high school she added piccolo to talents and joined the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra as principal flute, and now also performs on alto flute. When not playing music, Erica works as a Marketing Data Strategist for Sharp Health Care. |
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French Horn: RB Anthony
RB is the jokester of the group, and comes from a family of incredible musicians. He was a full-time musician for many years, performing on the French Horn locally and at Disneyland - it's no wonder he's so happy. Having been a performer, arranger, director, and educator in the field, RB has always had music as part of his life. He has taught on the music faculty of Point Loma Nazarene University, and we are so happy to call him our horn player because honestly he is one of San Diego’s leading freelance horn players. He graduated from Grossmont High School and attended San Diego State University as a Music Education Major, where he participated in many instrumental ensembles. He has written over 300 arrangements for brass and woodwind quintet, and can be heard on several recordings and soundtracks. Yes, he does write a lot of our musical selections, especially if it is Disney themed. RB is multi-talented and his endeavors are not just performing, but also making other performers look amazing! He has a long standing as the “Score Reader” for the San Diego Symphony’s video director, which provides an opportunity to put his audio/visual experience to work with his musicianship. RB currently resides in Lakeside with his musical wife, two (non-musical) dogs, and a cat. When not rehearsing or performing, RB and family can be found at a Padres game or some live entertainment event. |
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Oboe: Jenny Shippee
Jenny first heard the oboe at a "meet the instruments" night at the end of third grade, and wanted to give it a go. After a high school orchestra tour of Spain, she knew oboe was her calling, and she earned degrees from Northwestern and SDSU, and spent a year in London studying oboe at Kingston University. After school, Jenny won an audition for the US Navy music program, and served as a Sailor musician , where she engaged in over 200 performances a year with various groups, her favorite being the woodwind quintet. Jenny also got to sing as an auxiliary vocalist for the Navy, and auxiliary percussionist for ceremonial gigs. She met and fell in love with a fellow Navy musician, got married, and they now reside in east county, where she is a full time homeschooling mother to three children. She can be found playing oboe and English Horn around town with various orchestras and musical theater groups, and is resident oboist for her church orchestra. Jenny also serves as director of the middle and high school choirs at their umbrella school and is passionate about bringing the joy of music and performance to young people. When not playing music Jenny enjoys camping, hiking, sailing, reading books to her children, and needlework! |
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Clarinet: April Leslie
April's unique sense of humor and search for snacks is only paused when she's performing, and she is both a phenomenal human and musician. She is a native of San Diego, and is a musician whose diversity spans from classical clarinet to the soulful sounds of her baritone sax. April received her Masters in music from Azusa Pacific University. Throughout the years she has performed with many groups & artists locally & internationally, including sullvn, The Saxations, GruvMatic, The Special Edition Orchestra, Big Time Operator, The San Diego Symphony & Opera, California Chamber Orchestra, Blast!, JAMB (bass clarinet quartet), Michael Bolton, Manny Cepeda Orchestra, Grossmont Afro-Cuban Band, San Diego Winds, Summer Winds, & numerous theatrical productions throughout San Diego County. |
We'd love for you to get to know us further - we are absolutely honored by the numerous amazing reviews we've received from our past clients, and if you'd like to learn about us from those that we have performed for previously, please check out Yelp, Wedding Wire, the Knot, and Google where you'll find some love and praise.
