Leslie Gilreath is a composer, arranger, and educator whose music has been performed throughout the United States and internationally. A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Gilreath recently retired after 31 years in public education, including 25 years as Director of Bands at Summerville High School in Summerville, South Carolina.

Gilreath’s concert music has been featured at The Midwest Clinic, including Only Light, Only Love, In My Perfect Place, Sarcophagus, and From Whence They Came, which was commissioned by the Wando High School Band for its 2019 Midwest Clinic performance. His music is published by C. Alan Publications, and his recent commissions include Leave No Doubt and A Field of Wildflowers, the latter commissioned by a consortium of more than 30 high school and university bands.

During his tenure, the Summerville program became one of South Carolina’s most consistently successful large-school band programs, earning SCBDA State Championships in 2004 and 2014 and 17 top-five finishes at the state championships. The concert ensembles consistently earned superior ratings and were featured at SCMEA and MENC Southern Division conferences, while Summerville students were consistently among the state’s leading programs in All-State and Region Band selections.

Gilreath has served in significant leadership roles within the South Carolina band community, including President of the South Carolina Band Directors Association and Executive Board member of the South Carolina Music Educators Association. His professional honors include induction into the Phi Beta Mu Theta Chapter Hall of Fame in 2025 and selection as a 2019 Laureate of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Legion of Honor.

Gilreath has been Brass Arranger for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps since 2020.