About Denise Leslie

Welcome to Hideaway Ukulele Studio! I’m Denise Leslie, and I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up in southern Indiana, I was immersed in church choirs, school music programs, and every opportunity I could find to perform. Along the way I learned piano, organ, flute, bassoon, guitar, and eventually the instrument that completely captured my heart—the ukulele. I sang in a gospel trio, performed with an award-winning barbershop quartet, and spent more than 30 years serving as a church pianist and organist. Although I always imagined becoming a music teacher, life first led me down a different path through marriage, raising three wonderful children, and building a career in arts and entertainment marketing.

That career took me from promoting Broadway productions, concerts, festivals, museums, and sporting events with Ogden Entertainment to consulting with arts organizations throughout Texas after my husband, Charles, and I relocated to Austin. When we made Durango our home in 2009, I founded a marketing and publishing business dedicated to the arts, became publisher of Arts Perspective magazine, and produced playbills for performing arts organizations across the Four Corners. It was rewarding work, but somewhere along the way I realized that music had quietly found its way back into my life.

What began as a way to unwind soon became a renewed passion. After purchasing my first ukulele and attending festivals around the country, I discovered that this little four-string instrument has an extraordinary ability to bring people together, regardless of age or musical experience. That discovery inspired me to create opportunities for others to experience the same joy, beginning with the Rocky Mountain UkeFest in 2015, which welcomed internationally recognized performers and educators to Durango for nearly a decade.

Today, Hideaway Ukulele Studio has become much more than a place to take lessons. Along with private instruction, I lead group classes, direct the Thoughtful Ukulele Orchestra, host workshops, retreats, and community jams, and continue performing throughout the region. I’ve also developed ukulele curriculum for local schools and enjoy helping students discover that making music is about confidence, creativity, and connection as much as learning chords.

The next chapter is the Hideaway Ukulele Community Program, an initiative dedicated to creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to learn, play, perform, volunteer, and build lasting friendships through music. Whether you’re holding a ukulele for the very first time or looking for others to share songs with, you’ll find a welcoming community where encouragement comes freely, laughter is always part of the rehearsal, and everyone has a place.

My hope is that Hideaway isn’t simply where you learn to play the ukulele, but where you discover the friendships, confidence, and joy that music has the power to bring into every stage of life.