Carally McKeever-De Leon
An educator for many years, she has taught high school, middle school and elementary music. As director of the New Britain High School Orchestra she brought her orchestra to regional festivals and adjudications and arranged performance opportunities with the group Black Violin, at Disneyworld in Florida and at the Franklin Mint in Philadelphia. As an arranger she produced numerous arrangements of pop tunes for her orchestra. At the middle and elementary levels she taught strings, chorus and general music and again arranged numerous opportunities for the student ensembles to perform at outside events including Holiday On Ice at the Hartford Civic Center. Some of her students have gone on to pursue music at the collegiate level.
Carally holds a B.S. in Music Education from the University of Connecticut where she studied piano with Joseph Villa amd jazz piano with Dennis Milner. She also holds an M.S. in Music Education from Central Connecticut State University. Her lifelong dedication to music reflects her passion for artistry, collaboration and education.
Carally is a versatile performer and accomplished musician with a rich background in performance and music education. Growing up in a household of professional musicians, she was immersed in music from a young age, starting piano and violin at age four and performing in church and school ensembles throughout her childhood.
Her eclectic career spans genres including “Classical”, jazz, pop, rock and reggae. As a solo pianist she has performed at venues such as The Griswold Inn in Old Saybrook and Town Farms Inn in Middletown as well as numerous venues in the north coastal area of New Jersey. She led her jazz trio Top Secret for years and was an original member of the rock-fusion band Sa’Ha, recording at Trod Nossel studios and performing in Connecticut’s music scene. Carally has also performed with big bands, Top 40 ensembles and other artists in Connecticut and New Jersey. Her ensemble, The Sunflower Trio showcases her versatility in performing “Classical”, jazz, Latin, sacred and multi-ethnic music.
As a music director and accompanist, Carally has worked with renowned vocalists and instrumentalists including Jolie Rocke-Brown, Lena Carter and Calvin McClinton and has been music director for children’s and adult community theater groups in Connecticut and New Jersey. She also was the Sunday children’s service music director/organist at First Church of Christ in West Hartford.