My Story

I’ve performed music throughout my life as a guitarist, saxophonist and vocalist.

In 4th Grade, I chose the alto saxophone as my instrument, and started to develop at it pretty quickly. I began guitar lessons around the same time. Once I was in middle school, as I started to audition for various regional All-State ensembles on both sax and guitar.

In high school, I had the pleasure of being in the music program at Kenmore East High School – led by band director Phil Aguglia – where I played in the Concert Band, Symphonic Winds, Jazz Band, Honors Jazz Band and numerous combos. Additionally, I began performing with the Blissful Soul Jazz Trio, and also in a community jazz band called the Sugar and Jazz Orchestra. On top of all that, I started playing in pit orchestras for various stage productions including Mamma Mia!, Footloose, Gypsy, Grease, Seussical the Musical, The Odyssey and James and the Giant Peach Jr.

In 2016, I started pursuing my Bachelor of Music degree at Capital University. Music Technology was my major and guitar was my primary instrument.

The time spent in the Conservatory was invaluable to my growth as a musician. I played in a wide assortment of ensembles, including the Capital University ConFusion Band, Jazz Consort, Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Guitar Workshop, and I played saxophone in the Wind Ensemble and World Music Ensemble. My senior year, I began playing solo guitar sets at the Schumacher Art Gallery on campus.

As a music technology student, I got to greatly develop my skills as an audio engineer. Getting to fully understand signal flow, getting to troubleshoot technology, getting to take part in recording sessions, getting to run sessions completely on my own – I was able to learn a lot during my time there.

During the middle of my final semester, Covid-19 ravaged the planet, and we all had to complete our courses online. In the meantime my brother Zach (drums/flute) and started a project called The New Aliens and made an album titled “Sense”, which was done entirely in our basement music studio, and released digitally on August 21, 2020.

Fast forward to now.

I work a full-time position as an associate engineer with Mark Custom Recording Service. With Mark, I’ve recorded a wide array of classical and jazz ensembles at many of the nation’s largest music education conferences including the Midwest Clinic (Chicago, IL), Florida Music Educator’s Association (Tampa, FL) and Texas Music Educator’s Association (San Antonio, TX). Some of the ensembles I’ve recorded throughout my career include the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds, Arizona Winds, Mansfield University Concert Choir and Tennessee State Collegians.

I also work an average of five shows a month at the Lion and Eagle Pub in Clarence, NY. I’ve mixed for many Buffalo-based artists including Dave Viterna, Rabbit Jaw, Dead Alliance Buffalo, 45 RPM, LiTHiUM, Hearts Don’t Lie, the Hot Club of Buffalo, the Gavin Petrie Band, The Other Band, The Jay/Sharptet, UnCovered, and plenty more!

I’m also an active musician/performer, and I’ve been primarily working on my guitar and vocal techniques. Performance is my main passion that fuels and inspires me. I am incredibly inspired by all the great artists I have gotten know so far in the Buffalo music scene, and I am excited for what the future holds!