Leona Tsinnajinnie, member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation has found music to be a perpetual source of joy and motivation throughout her young but very full life. She finds enrichment coming from her earliest memories of her grandmother’s favorite station, KGAK 1330 AM, to the present day songs she sings to her two children. These memories pull from a wide range of influences from Northern Pow Wow music to songs from the Native American church to the top-40 played on the radio. 

Tsinnajinnie’s first introduction to classical music was in middle school where she participated in the choir. During that time, Tsinnajinnie has earned multiple awards for both ensemble and solo performances. While attending UNM where she pursued her bachelor’s in civil engineering, she took part in the Opera Studio which was taught by the late Ms. Marilyn Tyler as well as a private formal discipline of vocal development. Upon completion of her bachelors, she went on to pursue her master’s degree in Soil and Water Sciences at the University of Arizona.

Currently, while working for the Hazardous Waste Bureau at the New Mexico Environment Department and raising her two children she has once again taken up her love of singing by joining the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus. Once her busy days are done, singing her children, Jei and Melelana, to sleep is a calming conclusion to each busy day. As they grow, Tsinnajinnie hopes they might find a similar affection and appreciation for all of the beauty that music can bring.