LEO WELCH, Associate Dean for Public Service and Professor, joined the College of Music in 2003. His responsibilities include College outreach, promotional and public relations activities, as well as providing administrative support for the Summer Music Camps, the Festival for New Music and the many other international and national symposiums and festivals offered by the College.

As an editor and arranger, Dr. Welch has published over 40 arrangements and editions of solo, chamber, and guitar ensemble works with the FJH Music Company, Mel Bay Publications, Tuscany Publications (Theodore Presser), and Class Guitar Resources. Welch's arrangement of G.P. Telemann’s Trio Sonata in A Minor was featured in a guitar chamber music concert at the White House in December of 2004. As an educator and pedagogue, he has presented sessions at many regional and national MENC conferences concerning teaching class guitar in the public schools. He has also written articles relating to guitar education and guitar pedagogy that have been featured in the American String Teacher, Soundboard (Guitar Foundation of America), and GuitArt International periodicals. Welch remains active as a performer; last year’s performances included chamber music concerts at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), Spivey Hall (Atlanta) and the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Dr. Welch received his Doctor of Music, and Master of Music in performance from Florida State University, where he studied classical guitar with Bruce Holzman. His advanced classical guitar study includes the performance of Bach transcriptions with Nicholas Goluses, and jazz guitar studies with Gene Bertoncini at the Eastman School of Music. In addition to his administrative duties, Welch also teaches music theory, music education and guitar ensemble courses.