Christine Fawson – Trumpet/Brass - Session 1

Christine Fawson is an unforgettable talent who mesmerizes audiences around the world with her sultry vocals and virtuosic trumpet playing. Originally from Northern California, Christine has forged a path through jazz and commercial entertainment and has sculpted the minds of young artists for over 20 years. Endorsed by the prestigious Bach corporation, Christine was an innovative presence for 14 years on the Brass faculty at Berklee College of Music, lending her talents to the Ear Training/Harmony, Vocal, Performance Studies, and Ensemble Departments. Downbeat Magazine noted Christine as “A distinctive performer with compelling dynamism,” and Jack Bowers of All About Jazz, touts her presence as “a performer who must be seen, as well as heard to be suitably appreciated.” Christine’s natural ability to captivate audiences and endless musical versatility has made her an in-demand trumpet player in New York, Boston, and around the country. 

Her performances with Wilson Stevens, The Rat Pack, The Disney Corporation, Bose, and Adele have featured her soulful musicality to diverse audiences around the world. She is also regularly invited to teach clinics, master classes, and perform concerts for the Jazz Education Network and National Music Educators Association, and other conferences. Christine has recorded four albums as a leader. Her first, entitled Happy Talk (2003), is a collaboration with legendary trombonist and Grammy Award-nominated arranger Phil Wilson. She stretched her creativity on her second album, My Side, (2013) to feature her original pop and jazz compositions. A return to her more traditional jazz roots is displayed in the 2016 album entitled Here Now. Her latest release, Christine Fawson Sings Jazz (2018) features her contemporary adaptations of favorite selections from the Great American Songbook.

Christopher Noce – Saxophone/Woodwinds

Christopher Noce teaches bands in Concord, Massachusetts. Under his direction, the Concord Bands have received numerous accolades from the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors’ Association (MICCA), Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE) and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA). His ensembles have commissioned new works for concert band and performed on some of the region's most iconic stages. The culture and community built within and around the Concord Bands is a major point of focus and pride for the program.

Christopher holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) and a Master’s of Music in Music Education from Boston University. He is an active member of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) and the MMEA, where he has served in several leadership-level positions including Eastern District Chairperson and All-State Concert Coordinator. Christopher maintains an active musical life both on and off the podium as a clinician, conductor, performer and teacher.

Christopher lives in Worcester, Massachusetts with his wife Emma, daughter Margot and son Reuben, where they enjoy all that the metropolis’s second-city status has to offer a young family.

Clayton Dewalt - Trombone/Brass Session 2

Clayton DeWalt is one of the most sought-after freelance trombonists in New England. He is equally at home in a section or as a soloist, and has made a career of studying and performing virtually all styles of music.

Growing up in rural Western Pennsylvania, Clayton began playing music with his father on piano and then picked up the trombone at age 10. He immediately loved the horn and never put it down. In addition to his school band, he was lucky to be able to play in his father’s jazz band, learning the tricks of the trade from experienced pros on the bandstand.

Clayton enrolled at Slippery Rock University to study music education, while he continued to gain valuable experience performing in the Pittsburgh area freelance scene. He also began teaching privately and in summer jazz camps, where his love for teaching first developed. After graduating and freelancing in Pittsburgh for about a year, Clayton moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music, where he earned a master’s degree in jazz performance. While at NEC, Clayton studied under the brass legend Laurie Frink, as well as with John McNeil, Norman Bolter, Andre Hayward, Steve Davis, and Frank Carlberg. He studied the music of the Balkans and began performing in Balkan brass groups regularly. Clayton was accepted into the Doctor of Musical Arts program at NEC and is pursuing that degree currently.

Clayton has performed across the globe in venues ranging from Birdland to the Monaco Opera House, and festivals ranging from Newport Jazz to Montreaux Jazz. Clayton can be heard playing regularly with the BTALC Big Band, Cocek! Brass Band, The Duppy Conquerors, The Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble, and many other groups in the Boston area.

Clayton has always been committed to teaching musicians young and old and currently holds positions at the Rivers School, Lincoln Public Schools, Babson College, Catholic Memorial, and the Maynard Schools.

Eric Vincent – Guitar & Bass

Eric Vincent, Guitar - Since he began playing guitar at age 12, Eric has been an active performer, playing in a variety of settings from blues clubs to full-scale musical theater productions. Because his musical tastes are so diverse, Eric is a musical chameleon of sorts - fitting in comfortably and seamlessly in many different styles of music. In the past decade, Eric has played in a variety of funk, blues, country, jazz, rock, and pop bands in and around the Boston area.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Berklee College of Music and a Masters Degree from Boston University. When he's not performing, Eric stays busy working as a high school band director in Northborough, MA. He considers himself very lucky to make music all day, every day - and he wouldn't want it any other way!

Adria Smith - Piano/Keyboard

Grammy nominated educator, Adria Smith, has directed ensembles, performed, and built sustaining music programs in the Boston area for over 22 years. Featured in the SBO magazine “50 Directors who make a Difference” Smith has experience teaching at University of Madison WI, Salem University, Waltham Summer Rock Band, and is currently the Head of Department at Marblehead Community Charter Public School where she received the Founding Faculty award. Smith has a professional license in Music Education as she has earned a Jazz Composition degree from Berklee College and Music Masters in Music Education from UML. An avid performer, composer, and supporter of live music, Adria Smith plays professional jazz piano with multiple bands featuring her original compositions all around the Boston area. She has recorded her compositions with James Brown’s Funky Drummer, Clyde Stubblefield, and written two piano method books. Many of Adria Smith’s students have successfully graduated in music and are currently out in the field.

Peter Broggi - Drum Set/Percussion

Peter Broggi is a music educator and performer living in Littleton, MA. He has been a music teacher in Acton since 2001 and over the years has taught classroom music, jazz band, chorus, drums, guitar, piano, and ukulele. He also taught private drum lessons in Maynard for several years.

Peter earned music education degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Music. He also studied for a year at the University of Sussex at Brighton (U.K.). He regularly plays drums (and sometimes keyboard) for the Acton Music Project, a (mostly) cover band that raises money for music education. He also plays for several music theatre productions every year, which he particularly enjoys for the variety of styles.