Executive Director of Community Music Center of Boston will focus on the importance of values
October 2, 2025 (Cape Cod, MA) – It was during a trip to perform at a festival in Cape Town, South Africa, that musician Lecolion Washington’s perspective on life changed. It occurred during a meeting after the festival with South African Bishop Desmond Tutu.
“When I went to shake his hand and told him I was one of the performers, he goes, ‘Oh, I heard of you. I hope you know how important you are to the rebuilding of our country,’” Washington recalled. “This was after apartheid and he told me, ‘These young people have never seen anyone who looks like you doing what you do at the level you do. Your ability to perform and showcase your talents is one of the things that will help rebuild this country.’”
Until that moment, Washington’s career was focused solely on playing the bassoon at the highest of levels. The moving words from Tutu led Washington to ask himself, “What if I devoted my life to impacting the world? That led to a series of value-based transitions.”
That will be the theme of Washington’s keynote speech at the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s Creative Exchange Conference on Wednesday, October 8th, 8 am to 3 pm, at the Cotuit Center for the Arts. The one-day conference offers professional development, education, and networking opportunities for anyone on Cape Cod and the Islands who contributes to the arts sector or is interested in the arts.
Tickets for the one-day professional development conference are $60 per person and can be purchased at https://creativeexchange2025.sched.com/. Admission is open to the public and includes lunch, provided by Pizza Barbone in Hyannis, and a full lineup of entertainment, interactive conversations, and panel discussions centered on arts and culture.
“The day is really intended to inspire attendees to think about how they can use the arts as a catalyst for change,” said Arts Foundation Executive Director Julie Wake. “Lecolion Washington is a shining example of someone who is doing just that, not only as a musician, but as an arts administrator who is shaping the next generation in his role as Executive Director of Community Music Center of Boston. His story is particularly important in today’s climate.”
In his role at Community Music Center, Washington is responsible for leading a 115-year-old arts education nonprofit that serves over 3,000 students of all ages, from pre-school to seniors, on a weekly basis. Prior to arriving at Community Music Center, he was the co-founder and executive director of the PRIZM Ensemble in Memphis.
He was named one of Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2015; selected as a 2019 Musical America’s Top Professional of the Year honoring innovators, independent thinkers, and entrepreneurs; celebrated as a 2020 Boston HUBWeek Change Maker; and was the 2020 Chamber Music American Conference Planning Committee Chair.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Washington grew up playing the bassoon and has performed solo recitals and master classes at colleges and universities all over the world. He has been featured as a solo and chamber musician across America as well as Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and Switzerland.
He served on the faculty of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa from 2016 to 2013.
Having dedicated his career to the arts, Washington understands the power they wield. “Arts have a unique ability to document all that is happening in a given moment,” he said. “As artistic organizations, we have a responsibility and an ability to be an escape, but also to be a confession and I think people, right now, are looking for both. They are looking for opportunities to escape everything that is happening to give us a minute to breathe and remember there is beauty in this country and always has been. But we also see what is going on, and can’t we use art to confess what is going on?”
The Creative Exchange Conference is sponsored by William Raveis Real Estate Company; Massachusetts College of Art and Design; The Cape Cod Foundation; The Donald C. McGraw Foundation; Cape & Coast Bank; Cape Cod 5; Eastern Bank; John K. and Thirza F. Davenport Foundation; Southshore Playhouse Associates/Cape Cod Melody Tent; Seaside Cannabis; Red Jacket Resorts; and Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast.
About the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
Founded in 1987, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s mission is to support and strengthen a vibrant arts and cultural sector for everyone in the region. It fulfills its mission by funding grants; by increasing access to arts and culture in the region for all on Cape Cod; by advocating for more awareness on the impact the Cape’s creative economy has on our region and beyond; and by building a strong arts community network through membership as well as professional development opportunities that fall under its Creative Exchange program.