Leigh Ann Cannady

Founder & Artistic Director
Leigh Ann Cannady has an extensive background in professional, community and educational music and theater. An Atlanta native, Leigh Ann has worked as an accompanist, arranger, musical director, vocal coach and consultant for schools and theaters all over north Georgia and metro Atlanta for the last twenty years. Leigh Ann has been involved with dozens of productions and taught and coached hundreds of students including Tony-award winners and multiple Broadway actors. She holds a degree in music education from Shorter College and is a certified K-12 music specialist as well as having completed postgraduate work in sound engineering through the Berklee School of Music in Boston. She also works as the musical director for the Emmy Award Winning Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards–also known as the Shuler Hensley Awards–held annually at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center and broadcast on GPBTV. She is now  proud to focus her energies as the Founder and Artistic Director of Forsyth Academy of Performing Arts where she was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 along with Best of Forsyth Live Theatre in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.