Trombone with Alex L.

Im a recent graduate from Michigan State University and a current Teaching Assistant at the University of Miami. As a child I began to follow in the footsteps of my athlete parents, but I found music in middle school and fell in love with it during my time at New World School of the Arts, a highly selective performing arts high school in downtown Miami, Florida. It was there I laid a strong technical foundation playing classical music and began cultivating my musical skills and knowledge under the direction of Jim Gasior. I was the first trombonist in the then 27-year history of New World high school to win the Concerto Competition and perform as a soloist with the orchestra. I was also on the album “Crystal Blue,” released by the New World School of the Arts Combo I in 2012. During his time in Michigan, I was hired to play in the Gathering Orchestra, a residency-based big band in Detroit led by bass legend and mentor Rodney Whitaker, where I played with artists like Dee Dee Bridgewater and Savion Glover. This year I was also part of the MSU Trombone Ensemble that won the International Kai Winding Competition and was a semifinalist in the ITEC Rich Matteson Competition. I most recently traveled to Japan on a big band and educational outreach tour with the MSU Jazz Orchestra I. Having strong mentors throughout his student life and career, I am committed to providing that same experience of having skilled and personable musicians being invested in their development; as musicians and as human beings.