MEET OUR STAFF
Leslie Reese
Executive Director
Leslie is excited to join the AMPT family! She also serves as the Worship and Communications Coordinator at Salem Lutheran Church.
Leslie's love of theatre began at the age of six when she was asked to play Gretl in her school's production of The Sound of Music. She has been acting, singing, dancing ever since. She obtained her BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University in North Carolina, and has many years of experience both onstage performing and backstage directing, choreographing, stage managing, and teaching. Some of her students have even gone on to careers on Broadway and television. Leslie has worked with many theatre companies including A. D. Players Theatre, The Alley Theatre, and Red Mountain Theatre. Some of her favorite credits include A Chorus Line, Children of Eden, I Ought to Be in Pictures, Steel Magnolias, Annie, Charley's Aunt, 42nd Street, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and The Little Foxes.
When she is not immersed in theatre, Leslie loves attending Astros games and is an avid woodworker and quilter.
Ian Barry
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Ian Barry: Ian Studied Classical and Jazz Guitar at Lee College and began teaching guitar professionally in 1994. He began performing professionally in and around the Houston area at the same time, honing his skills as both a band leader and sideman.
Ian has been on stage countless times for many styles of music including rock, jazz, solo classical guitar, worship, blues, country, and ensembles for musicals and jazz big band. "I truly enjoy sharing the love of music and performance with others as a way to give back some of the joy that music has brought to my life.”
Amy Schleicher
Piano
Amy has always been a music-lover. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 5 and took lessons all the way through the collegiate-level. Amy has enjoyed using her musical gifts to serve the Lord in the church setting—accompanying vocal choirs, playing with musicians, and leading services on the organ or piano. One of her biggest passions is passing along her love for the piano to children.
Amy has 20 years of piano-teaching experience. She started teaching piano lessons to young students while she was still in high school and has taught anywhere from one to more than a dozen students at a time ever since. Amy graduated from Concordia University Nebraska in 2003 with a B.S. in Education and her Lutheran Teaching Degree. Amy also earned a Reading Specialist Master’s Degree in 2006. She served as an elementary school classroom teacher for 8 years and always did something music-related at the school—directing handbell choirs (her favorite!), leading kids’ choirs, or teaching music and recorder classes.
Amy currently is a stay-at-home mother where she tries to keep the household in line for Jason, her husband of 16 years, and their three children—Jaden, Cody, and Adley. She loves her part-time work as a piano instructor and has been teaching with The Arts & Music Program of Tomball for the past 3 years.
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Haley Brant
Harp, Piano
A Graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University's Music Performance program, Haley is an accomplished harpist and pianist. She has a diversified career as an orchestral harpist and solo and chamber music performer as well as a music teacher. She was the principle harpist for the Orchestra of the Pines from 2014-2017. Haley has performed with the Houston Civic Symphony and as part of the Stephen F. Austin Harp Duo.
Apart from the stage, Haley freelances in the Houston area for any occasion including weddings, parties, charity functions, galas, and Christmas and Easter services. Haley has taught piano and harp to school-aged students since 2017. She has a passion for sharing her love of music with others. Her goal as a music teacher is to instill both an appreciation for music of all genres, and the ability to play technically and musically well. Haley finds joy in creating good music and strives to pass that on to all her students!
She began piano at 6 years old and was under the instruction of
Karen Ellis and Angie Schweer through high school. At 11 years old, she began playing the harp. Haley was a student of Susanna Campbell and studied under Emily Mitchell at Stephen F. Austin State University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Harp Performance.
Billy McQueen
Drums
Bio Coming Soon!
Photo
Coming
Soon
Jessica Ray
Voice, Vocal Lab
Jess is a worship leader and recording artist, serving alongside her husband, Dave, in Salem's worship ministry. Jess holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Greenville University and received vocal performance instruction under the late Dr. Debra Marsch. She has also completed all three levels of certification from the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework.
Jess has over 20 years of live and studio vocal experience and has recorded 10 studio albums. She also works as a contract live and studio vocalist for Houston-area churches.
She and Dave are the creators of Doorpost Songs (www.doorpostsongs.com), a resource provider of Scripture songs, lyrics videos, video devotionals, and more designed for multi-generational and family worship. They are the parents of three rambunctious kids, Evan, Jackson, and Addison.
Vocal Lab
Laura Pierson
Laura is a Worship Leader at Salem Lutheran Church. She has been singing since a young age and got her start leading worship at her home church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She went on to study music and theology at Concordia University Irvine where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Parish Music.
During her time at CUI, she had a Worship Internship at Salem and returned after graduation in 2019 to serve full-time on staff. Laura was also heavily involved in theater, orchestra and band throughout her life, all of which have helped her gain a foundational understanding of stage presence that she incorporates into her teaching of worship leadership. This training has brought her to all types of stages, from opening for Los Lonely Boys at age 15, to being a part of the LCMS National Youth Gathering house band in 2019, leading worship for over 20,000 people.
When Laura isn’t working, she enjoys writing music, recording with her band Until Georgia, and traveling to see family and friends.