Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization

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(As of 11/27/2023)

2024 Administrative Team

 

2024 Design Team

 

2024 Educational Leadership

 

2023 Brass Educators

 

2024 Percussion Educators

 

2024 Color Guard Educators

 

2024 Visual Educators

 

2023 Admin and Support Team

 

2023 Health Team

 

2023 Media Team

Stuart Pompel
Chief Executive Officer

STUART POMPEL was a founding instructor of Pacific Crest in 1993, served as its Executive Director from 1996 to 2018, and was appointed CEO in November 2018. During his tenure, he has led the growth of the organization from a small performing group to a nationally recognized performing arts education organization, and a member of the Drum Corps International World Class.

In addition to fundraising, donor relations, board cultivation, and program development, Stuart has nurtured relationships between Pacific Crest and community and corporate leaders, and has developed endorsement agreements and partnerships with leaders in the music industry. He is active in Drum Corps International governance, having served on the DCI-Pacific Advisory Board since 1999, as its president from 2005 – 2010, the DCI Finance Committee and Audit Committee, chair of the DCI Audit Committee, and DCI Voting Member Chair.

Stuart holds a BA in Social Sciences and a teaching credential from Chapman University in Orange, California. He lives in Placentia, California, with his wife Ann, and two daughters, Maya and Tahlia.

Edward Martin
Operations Director

EDWARD B. MARTIN joined Pacific Crest in 2010. As the organization’s Operations Director, he’s responsible for earned income strategies, event coordination, merchandise development, the Pacific Crest online store, marketing, volunteer coordination, foodservice, tour planning and management.

Ed’s performing experience includes seven years as a member of the Riverside City College Marching Tigers.

Ed has over 25 years of experience in the travel industry, specializing in performance tours for high school, college and university bands, choirs, and orchestras to destinations around the world.

His first exposure to drum corps was a PBS broadcast of the 1985 DCI World Championships. For the next ten years, Ed attended the DCI World Championships as an avid drum corps fan, and he toured with with the Concord Blue Devils in 1995 as a member of their support staff.

Having sat in the stands for ten years, Ed took a bold step by co-founding the Yamato Drum and Bugle Corps in 1997. Originally founded to recruit musicians and performers in Japan to compete exclusively in the United States at DCI Open Class events, Yamato developed into a multicultural group when it began recruiting members in California and Japan. Yamato became DCI’s first International Division Champion, and earned two silver medals, two Spirit of Disney Awards, and eight Finalist appearances.

In 2006, Ed was voted by his peers as Division III Director of the Year. Ed brought his experience with Yamato to Pacific Crest by developing a recruiting program in Japan, and acts as the corps’ liaison for its Japanese performers.

Chris Henderson
Drum Corps Director

CHRIS HENDERSON has an unyielding passion for working with youth arts education and nonprofits.

Chris is a Pacific Crest alumnus who performed with the corps from 2005-2008. After aging out, he took up roles in visual instruction, tour management, and administrative operations. He also facilitates with safety management, health and wellness, and set design and fabrication.

Outside of Pacific Crest, Chris has served as a music and visual performance educator at several high schools in the Southern California area, including as visual technician, visual caption head and program coordinator. Chris also serves as the Director of Programs at the WGI and SCPA World Class Ensembles, Pulse Percussion and POW Percussion.

For the past 15 years, Chris has worked for the Walt Disney Company in Anaheim as a research product developer in confections as well as with the Disney Performing Arts program.

He was born and raised in Southern California and currently lives in Downey, CA.

Katie Takahashi
Education Programs Director

KATIE TAKAHASHI is a native of Walnut, CA. She graduated from Walnut High School in 2013, where she served as the Head Drum Major of the marching band. Katie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and her Teaching Credential from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she studied flute with Professor Sheridan Stokes and conducting with Professor Travis Cross. She was also a member of the Solid Gold Sound of the UCLA Marching Band. Katie received her Master’s Degree in Music Education from Central Washington University through the American Band College Master’s Program.

Katie is currently the Instrumental Music Director at Walnut High School. Katie feels extremely lucky to return to her alma mater and work alongside her former music teacher, Corey Wicks. At Walnut High School, Katie teaches Concert Orchestra, Marching Band, AP Music Theory, and Symphonic Band. She also advises the Tri-M Music Honors Society, Blue Thunder Band Buddies Club, and the Color Guard Team.

In addition to her work at Walnut High School, Katie spends her Sundays with the Santa Monica Youth Orchestra as the conductor for three different levels of orchestra.

Jenifer Guldner
Business Manager

JENIFER GULDNER received her Masters from USC, with a degree in Human Resource Management. She also holds a B.A from CSUF in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resource Management. She is a SHRM-Certified (Society of Human Resource Management) Professional. She has been part of the color guard activity since middle school, and performed with Esperanza Drum & Bugle Corps, Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps, Corona and Fantasia.

In addition to her role at Pacific Crest, Jen is Human Resource Specialist for Insperity. She is married to Tim Tintari, an alumnus of Pacific Crest. They have a son Nicholas, a daughter Amelia, and fur baby Emma.

Dave McGrath
Program Coordinator

DAVID J. McGRATH has directed high school bands the past thirty-five years in the states of Michigan, Georgia, and Texas. He holds a BA from DePauw University and an MA from Eastern Michigan University. He is currently the Director of Bands at Klein Cain High School in Klein, Texas. McGrath also served as Program Coordinator for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016-2019.

Concert ensembles under his direction have received numerous honors including: invitations and performances for numerous regional and national concert festivals and clinics (including the 2010 Midwest Clinic, the 2000, 2006 and 2023 National Concert Band Festival, and numerous state music association performances in both Michigan and Georgia). The Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Wind Ensemble had the honor of performing an hour-long concert for President Bill Clinton (1996). The Klein Cain Wind Ensemble has been a UIL Sweepstakes Award Recipient every year since opening in the fall of 2017 and will perform as a featured ensemble at the 2023 Music for All National Concert Band Festival.

Marching bands under his direction have also received many honors which include: eleven appearances at the Michigan state marching band championships (capturing nine state championships); being consistent finalists at Bands of America events (the Lakeland High School Marching Band was named the 1992 BOA Class AA Toledo Regional Champion, the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Marching Band was named the 1999 BOA Class AAA and Grand National Champion, the Carlton J. Kell High School Marching Band was a ten-time BOA Regional and Super-Regional finalist, and was named the 2010 BOA Jacksonville Regional Champion and 2010 BOA Akron Regional Champion). The Kennesaw Mountain High School Marching Band was named the 2015 Jacksonville, Alabama Regional Champion, and the 2012 and 2014 BOA Class AAA National Champion (selected as a Grand National Championship Finalist Band both of those years). Most recently, the Klein Cain Marching Band has received Division 1 ratings every year (since opening) at the UIL Region 9 Marching Band Evaluation and was a top five finalist at the 2019 USSBA Conroe and Spring Regional Competitions. The Klein Cain Marching Band enjoyed a very successful fall in 2021, being named Grand Champion at the USSBA Houston Regional, and advancing to the UIL 6A State Marching Band Contest (the first time a Klein ISD school advanced to the State Contest in fifteen years).

Mr. McGrath is a six-time recipient of the National Band Association Citation of Excellence and has been named a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction. He is active as a concert band, marching band, and drum-corps adjudicator and clinician, having judged finals at the Bands of America Grand National Championships, DCI World Championships (having served on the DCI Judge Liaison team during the 2013 season), and Japan Marching Band Championships. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, the TMEA and the MENC.

Gabe Escobedo
Artistic Director

GABE ESCOBEDO’s color guard career began in 1999 at Palmdale High School. After graduating in 2003, Gabe became an active member of the Riverside Community Colleges Marching Arts Program. While there, he performed with The RCC Marching Tigers in 2003-2004, and the Independent World class winter guard, Fantasia, in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2011. While marching Fantasia, he earned two WGI world championships titles and served as captain in 2011.

Gabe’s DCI experience as a performer includes: Yamato Drum and Bugle corps from Osaka, Japan in 2004, and Santa Clara Vanguard, 2006.

Gabe began his teaching career at a young age with his alma mater, Palmdale High School, 2003-2011. Here he gained experience in instruction, choreography, and design. This continued on with Ayala High School, Fountain Valley High School, RCC Marching Tigers, and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, as well as at various programs throughout Southern California, Arizona, and Utah. He spent eight years with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, 2011-2018 and served as Color Guard Caption Head from 2015-2018 where his love of teaching continued to grow.

Gabe currently teaches at Rancho Cucamonga High School and Nogales High School, and serves as a consultant to numerous programs throughout Southern California.

Darren Loney
Brass Arranger

Brass Arranger and Composer

DARREN LONEY is the Director of Instrumental Music at Gahr High School in Cerritos, California, and serves as the High School Music Coordinator for the ABC Unified School District. He oversees the Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Color Guard, Winter Guard, Percussion Ensemble, and Winter Drumline. After reinstating the competitive marching band program in 2013, Gahr High School has been undefeated in the CSBC Circuit, being crowned the “California State Band Grand Champions” in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Mr. Loney’s concert and jazz ensembles have consistently received superior ratings for performance and sight-reading at SCSBOA adjudicated festivals, and the Winter Guard and Winter Drumline programs have been finalists in WGASC and SCPA, respectively. Before his tenure at Gahr High School, Mr. Loney spent four years as the band director at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, CA.

Mr. Loney was recently awarded the “Certificate of Merit for Marching Excellence” from the National Band Association for outstanding contributions to marching bands. Mr. Loney was named 2014-15 “Teacher of the Year” at Gahr High School, and before that the 2010-11 “Teacher of the Year” at La Quinta High School. Under his direction, the Gahr High School Instrumental Music Program received the “NAMM Support Music Merit Award” in 2018 for its outstanding commitment to music education.

Mr. Loney holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach, where he studied trombone performance with James Miller, principal trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During his credential work, he was the inaugural recipient of the Bob Cole Conservatory “Music Education Award.” He completed Level II Kodály Certification studying Kodály methodology, solfege, conducting, and folk song analysis. Mr. Loney was a marching member of the Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps and Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. In addition to teaching, he is an avid arranger, composer, and drill writer for ensembles throughout Southern California.

Mr. Loney holds membership in the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association, California Music Educators Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the International Thespian Society, and the Golden Key International Honor Society. He has presented as a guest speaker at conferences for SCSBOA and the Kansas Bandmasters Association. Loney resides in Lakewood with his beautiful wife Laura and daughter Lauren.

Eric Shriver
Battery Arranger

Battery Percussion Arranger and Composer

ERIC SHRIVER is a Percussion Educator and Designer based in Southern California. He performed with the Bluecoats, Pulse Percussion, Black Knights, Pacific Crest, and RCC Marching Band. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Industry Studies) from California Polytechnic University (Pomona, CA).

Currently, he serves as the Percussion Director and Battery Designer at a number of local high schools, including Etiwanda, Rancho Cucamonga, and South Torrance — as well as the Ensemble Coordinator and Battery Arranger for POW Percussion.

His work with drum corps is extensive: he has served as snare tech at Bluecoats and Cavaliers, Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger at Blue Stars, and recently was the Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger at Gold. Some of his WGI teaching experiences include Snare Tech/Ensemble Coordinator at Pulse Percussion, Battery Arranger for Élan Percussion, and Battery Arranger at Gold Indoor Percussion.

Eric serves on the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) Classification Committee. He is a co-owner and designer at Front2Back Music (front2backmusic.com), a company that creates shows for marching bands and indoor ensembles. He is also the Owner/Creator of the “The Build-Up Method,” which is a set of rudimental percussion practice methods using logical skill building exercises and audio tracks.

Eric lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with his wife Amanda, daughter Charlotte, dog Sammy, and cat Luna.

Trent Gronewold
Front Ensemble Arranger

Front Ensemble Arranger & Composer, Sound Designer

TRENT GRONEWOLD is a full time percussion arranger and educator from Southern California. He is the Front Ensemble Arranger and Sound Designer for POW Percussion, Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, Thesis Indoor, and Élan Percussion. Trent has run the percussion program at Gahr HS since 2017, and has been on staff at Pulse Percussion since 2022. Previously, he was the Front Ensemble Arranger for Gold Drum and Bugle Corps from 2020-2022, helping earn the corps their first ever silver medal in DCI Open Class.

Trent has been working behind the scenes for Box Six since 2016 assisting with front ensemble arranging. Recently he began writing Indoor Percussion shows with John Mapes for Box Six. In addition to Box Six, he has his music published on Front2Back music and Standing O Marching.

His marching experience includes the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps (2015-2016), Santa Clara Vanguard (2018), and Pulse Percussion (2016-2020), where he served as section leader for his last 3 years. During this time he has won a WGI Championship, a DCI Championship and a Fred Sanford High Percussion Award. Trent is also a member of the Vic Firth and Zildjian Educational Team.

Drew Dickey
Music Coordinator

CHRISTOPHER DREW DICKEY is in his second season with Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, serving in the role of Music Coordinator and Brass Curriculum Coordinator. He also serves on the conducting faculty of the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is Associate Director of the Longhorn Band and will complete his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting in the spring of 2023.

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Dickey held positions at The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, The South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University, the Anderson School District 5 District Office, and Southwood Academy of the Arts. He also served as a Graduate Conducting Associate with the Louisiana State University Department of Bands and spent many years as an educator and administrator in the South Carolina public schools.

Mr. Dickey holds the degrees of Master of Music in Music Education from the Ithaca College School of Music, Master of Music in Wind Conducting from Louisiana State University, and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of South Carolina. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Shelby, his son, Maddox, and their dogs Pongo and Stella.

Kyle Marx
Drill Designer

KYLE MARX is the Associate Director of Bands at Klein Oak High School in Spring, Texas. During his time at Klein Oak, the band has performed at the UIL 6A State Marching Band Contest and has been a Bands of America Regional Finalist, both for the first time in the school’s history. His concert bands at Klein Oak have twice been Commended from the Citation of Excellence program from the Foundation for Music Education.

Prior to being at Klein Oak, Kyle was the assistant band director at Weiss High School in Pflugerville, Texas. While there, the 2nd-year school made the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional Finals, making them the youngest school ever to make a Super Regional Finals.

Originally from central Ohio, Kyle attended Ohio University where he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Music Education. After graduation, Kyle moved to Houston, Texas to begin his teaching career at Westfield High School in Spring ISD.

Kyle has also had extensive involvement in the drum corps activity, which began by marching for the Madison Scouts for three summers. After aging out, Kyle taught on visual staff at The Troopers, Blue Knights, Phantom Regiment and The Crossmen.

Outside of his primary job at Klein Oak, Kyle is an active Consultant, Adjudicator, Choreographer, Drill Designer, and Clinician in Houston and across Texas.

Kyle is very excited and humbled to join the team at Pacific Crest.

Chadd Hartman
Choreographer

CHADD HARTMAN was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, where he attended Las Vegas High School and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Hartman began his pageantry career with the Crossmen, where he was a performer with a variety of roles from 2009-2012. He then went on to perform with the Independent World group Fantasia Winterguard in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

In his teaching career, Hartman has worked with a plethora of scholastic groups in the Southern California area as a director, designer, choreographer, and graphic artist. He worked as a technician and choreographer for The Academy from 2015-2017, and spent his 2018 summer with Carolina Crown. In 2019, he joined the Pacific Crest family as a choreographer on the design team and on the color guard technical staff.

He is currently the Director of Color Guards at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, CA and has been with the program since 2018, while also serving as the Director of Color Guard at Gahr High School in Cerritos, CA since 2021.

Mr. Hartman is excited for his new role with the Pacific Crest family, and is looking forward to this new adventure.

Dave McGrath
Program Coordinator

DAVID J. McGRATH has directed high school bands the past thirty-five years in the states of Michigan, Georgia, and Texas. He holds a BA from DePauw University and an MA from Eastern Michigan University. He is currently the Director of Bands at Klein Cain High School in Klein, Texas. McGrath also served as Program Coordinator for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016-2019.

Concert ensembles under his direction have received numerous honors including: invitations and performances for numerous regional and national concert festivals and clinics (including the 2010 Midwest Clinic, the 2000, 2006 and 2023 National Concert Band Festival, and numerous state music association performances in both Michigan and Georgia). The Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Wind Ensemble had the honor of performing an hour-long concert for President Bill Clinton (1996). The Klein Cain Wind Ensemble has been a UIL Sweepstakes Award Recipient every year since opening in the fall of 2017 and will perform as a featured ensemble at the 2023 Music for All National Concert Band Festival.

Marching bands under his direction have also received many honors which include: eleven appearances at the Michigan state marching band championships (capturing nine state championships); being consistent finalists at Bands of America events (the Lakeland High School Marching Band was named the 1992 BOA Class AA Toledo Regional Champion, the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Marching Band was named the 1999 BOA Class AAA and Grand National Champion, the Carlton J. Kell High School Marching Band was a ten-time BOA Regional and Super-Regional finalist, and was named the 2010 BOA Jacksonville Regional Champion and 2010 BOA Akron Regional Champion). The Kennesaw Mountain High School Marching Band was named the 2015 Jacksonville, Alabama Regional Champion, and the 2012 and 2014 BOA Class AAA National Champion (selected as a Grand National Championship Finalist Band both of those years). Most recently, the Klein Cain Marching Band has received Division 1 ratings every year (since opening) at the UIL Region 9 Marching Band Evaluation and was a top five finalist at the 2019 USSBA Conroe and Spring Regional Competitions. The Klein Cain Marching Band enjoyed a very successful fall in 2021, being named Grand Champion at the USSBA Houston Regional, and advancing to the UIL 6A State Marching Band Contest (the first time a Klein ISD school advanced to the State Contest in fifteen years).

Mr. McGrath is a six-time recipient of the National Band Association Citation of Excellence and has been named a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction. He is active as a concert band, marching band, and drum-corps adjudicator and clinician, having judged finals at the Bands of America Grand National Championships, DCI World Championships (having served on the DCI Judge Liaison team during the 2013 season), and Japan Marching Band Championships. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, the TMEA and the MENC.

Sean Phelan
Brass Caption Manager

SEAN PHELAN is currently Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He holds a master’s degree in conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as well as a bachelor’s in music education and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sean’s drum corps career began in 2007 with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. In his time marching there, he served as horn sergeant, featured soloist, and drum major and received the 2012 Jim Jones Leadership award from DCI. Upon aging out, Sean joined the brass staff as intern, instructor, and then ultimately as caption head for the 2018 season.

Most recently, he taught at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, TX, where he led the Hawk Band to appearances in the finals of the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional Championship and in the Texas UIL State Marching Contest. Previously, he was Director of Orchestras and Associate Director of Bands at Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin. While in Oconomowoc, Sean was also principal bassist and then Music Director of the Lake Country Orchestra. He has been an adjudicator for WSMA marching band contests and has designed and consulted with several marching programs across the Midwest.

Matt Owen
Brass Asst Caption Mgr.

MATT OWEN is a globally touring electro-tubist, Army Bandsman, pianist, arranger, and composer—and a leading proponent for the marriage of brass and electronics—residing in Indianapolis, IN. Matt performs as a KHS Artist with Admiral Phunk Brass Band, Opposite Box, and Eclectic Tuba. In 2015, he founded the Electrobrass Conference, which holds seminars geared toward the advancement of American brass music through technology.

His professional drum corps experience includes seven years on brass staff with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, as well as serving as an ensemble coordination consultant with Pacific Crest and Spirit of Atlanta in 2023.

Matt studied Music Education at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL, and is a graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, VA in 2007. He is currently a member of the 129th Army Band based in Nashville, TN. Owen jumped into Drum Corps International (DCI) early at the age of 14, marching contra with Spirit of Atlanta in 2001, 2002, and 2005, and Court of Honor in 2003, and has worked heavily with marching ensembles across the country since his introduction into the activity.

Matt has shared the stage with and collaborated with Stanton Moore and Galactic, The Wailers, The Floozies, Zoogma, Jeff Coffin, Rebirth Brass Band, Pat Sheridan, Nat McIntosh, Better Than Ezra, Keller Williams, Maps and Atlases, Mike Dillon, Junior Marvin (Bob Marley and The Wailers), Kliph Scurlock, Wayne Coyne, and Jakes Ingalls (The Flaming Lips), Amanda Palmer, The Polyphonic Spree, Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), HOTT MT, and Andy Frasco, and has opened for Snoop Dogs, Mungo Jerry, Umphrey’s McGee, Foreigner, Fishbone, and many more.

He has composed over 50 works for tuba and electronics, and has launched three electronic composition campaigns through Electrobrass in an attempt to encourage more composers to join in the movement and help create a large catalogue of music for the medium. He still continues to devote as much time to education as humanly possible, encouraging his students to develop their own artistic individuality, pave their own path, and claim their place in this ever-expanding musical world, and continues to arrange music for BOA, DCI, and WGI Winds groups across the country.

Drew Dickey
Brass Curriculum Coordinator

CHRISTOPHER DREW DICKEY is in his second season with Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, serving in the role of Music Coordinator and Brass Curriculum Coordinator. He also serves on the conducting faculty of the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is Associate Director of the Longhorn Band and will complete his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting in the spring of 2023.

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Dickey held positions at The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, The South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University, the Anderson School District 5 District Office, and Southwood Academy of the Arts. He also served as a Graduate Conducting Associate with the Louisiana State University Department of Bands and spent many years as an educator and administrator in the South Carolina public schools.

Mr. Dickey holds the degrees of Master of Music in Music Education from the Ithaca College School of Music, Master of Music in Wind Conducting from Louisiana State University, and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of South Carolina. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Shelby, his son, Maddox, and their dogs Pongo and Stella.

Eric Shriver
Percussion Caption Mgr.

Percussion Caption Manager

ERIC SHRIVER is a Percussion Educator and Designer based in Southern California. He performed with the Bluecoats, Pulse Percussion, Black Knights, Pacific Crest, and RCC Marching Band. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Industry Studies) from California Polytechnic University (Pomona, CA).

Currently, he serves as the Percussion Director and Battery Designer at a number of local high schools, including Etiwanda, Rancho Cucamonga, and South Torrance — as well as the Ensemble Coordinator and Battery Arranger for POW Percussion.

His work with drum corps is extensive: he has served as snare tech at Bluecoats and Cavaliers, Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger at Blue Stars, and recently was the Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger at Gold. Some of his WGI teaching experiences include Snare Tech/Ensemble Coordinator at Pulse Percussion, Battery Arranger for Élan Percussion, and Battery Arranger at Gold Indoor Percussion.

Eric serves on the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) Classification Committee. He is a co-owner and designer at Front2Back Music (front2backmusic.com), a company that creates shows for marching bands and indoor ensembles. He is also the Owner/Creator of the “The Build-Up Method,” which is a set of rudimental percussion practice methods using logical skill building exercises and audio tracks.

Eric lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with his wife Amanda, daughter Charlotte, dog Sammy, and cat Luna.

Chadd Hartman
Color Guard Caption Mgr.

Color Guard Caption Manager

CHADD HARTMAN was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, where he attended Las Vegas High School and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Hartman began his pageantry career with the Crossmen, where he was a performer with a variety of roles from 2009-2012. He then went on to perform with the Independent World group Fantasia Winterguard in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

In his teaching career, Hartman has worked with a plethora of scholastic groups in the Southern California area as a director, designer, choreographer, and graphic artist. He worked as a technician and choreographer for The Academy from 2015-2017, and spent his 2018 summer with Carolina Crown. In 2019, he joined the Pacific Crest family as a choreographer on the design team and on the color guard technical staff.

He is currently the Director of Color Guards at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, CA and has been with the program since 2018, while also serving as the Director of Color Guard at Gahr High School in Cerritos, CA since 2021.

Mr. Hartman is excited for his new role with the Pacific Crest family, and is looking forward to this new adventure.

Carla Hernandez
Color Guard Asst Capt Mgr

Color Guard Assistant Captain Manager

CARLA HERNANDEZ’S color guard career began in 1999 at Ramona High School in Riverside, CA. After graduating in 2003, Carla became an active member of the Riverside Community Colleges Marching Arts Program. She performed with the RCC Marching Tigers from 2003-2006, where she became captain in her later years. She also spent countless hours as a part of RCC’s Independent World class winter guard, Fantasia, in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2011. While fulfilling her dream of marching Fantasia, she earned two WGI World Championships titles and gained life-long friendships.

Carla’s DCI experience as a performer includes: Yamato Drum and Bugle corps from Osaka, Japan in 2004, and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps in 2006.

Carla began her teaching career at a young age by helping with a local middle-school feeder program while still in her senior year of high school. It was there she fell in love with teaching, and where she gained experience in instruction, choreography, and design. This continued on with many different high schools and middle schools across Southern California, most recently with Etiwanda High School, Riverside Poly High School and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps. She also spent two summers with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, from 2017-2018.

Carla resides in Riverside, CA, and works as Project Coordinator for an architectural and electrical engineering company.

Anthony Clark
Visual Caption Manager

ANTHONY CLARK is a full time visual designer and educator based in Upland, CA. He has been involved in the pageantry arts for over 10 years as a member, educator, and designer. His marching experiences include Boston Crusaders (2009-2010), Blue Devils (2012, 2014), and Broken City Percussion (2016).

As a designer, Anthony has worked with multiple schools including Los Osos HS, Cedarcrest HS in Washington State, and Rubidoux HS. He also designs for multiple indoor percussion ensembles including Williamsfield HS in Gilbert, AZ, Torrance HS, and Los Amigos HS. He has taught in the Southern California area for many years, working with ensembles such as Vessel Percussion, Upland HS, Nogales HS, Chaffey HS, Fontana HS, Bonita HS, Los Osos HS, and Etiwanda HS, where he currently serves as visual caption head. He also taught for The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2015 until 2019.

Anthony is incredibly excited to bring his love and passion for the activity to the students at Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, and is looking forward to a great season.

Mason Tanquary
Visual Asst. Caption Mgr.

Visual Assistant Caption Manager

MASON TANQUARY resides in Gilbert, AZ with his wife Alexa and his son Elias. Mason is the General Manager of a restaurant and continues his passion for the marching arts as a visual designer, instructor and adjudicator.

Mason has been actively involved in the marching activity since 2010. He was a performer for The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps for 5 seasons from 2010-2014. In 2015, he became a visual staff member at Pacific Crest. He returned back to the Academy as a visual staff member from 2016-2019.

Since 2011, Mason has worked as a visual instructor at a number of schools in Arizona, including Basha HS, Campo Verde HS, Perry HS, and Mesquite HS. Since 2016 he has served as Visual Caption Head at Williams Field HS, which has had a top visual program for 5 years straight, winning numerous caption awards and state awards.

In addition to teaching, Mason continues to develop his training and knowledge through adjudication of Visual performance and winter guard/drumline General Effect. He has been a judge for many circuits, both winter and fall, since 2016.

Mason is also a visual designer and drill writer for many local high schools in Arizona. He hopes to continue to be an advocate for visual education by hosting and developing visual workshops and training masterclasses for all levels.

Julia Robles
Physical Conditioning Coordinator

JULIA ROBLES’ performance experience includes groups such as the Oregon Crusaders, Phantom Regiment, Dark Sky Percussion, and Santa Clara Vanguard.

Her teaching experience stretches back to the fall of 2016. She has spent the last 6 years teaching various high schools throughout Southern California, including Los Osos HS and Etiwanda HS. Julia has also taught at multiple drum corps and independent indoor groups including Instinct and POW Percussion.

Julia resides in Southern California with her pitbull Odie and her Jack Russel Terrier Zuko.

Dan Blevins

Brass Instructor

DAN BLEVINS is an educator from Columbus, OH and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. He marched with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps for four years and was a member of the brass staff from in 2017 and 2018. As a member of the brass staff, he was recognized for his Instructional Innovation and Instructional Excellence.

During his time as a marching member, Dan was a trombone and baritone soloist for the 2015 and 2016 productions and was a DCI Performers’ Showcase champion for the 2015 and 2016 summers. He was also awarded first place at the Wright State University Trombone Festival in 2015, was a featured soloist at the 2015 Ohio Music Education Association Conference, and was a member of the Zinzinnati Trombone Quartet.

Bobby Bonslater

Brass Instructor

BOBBY BONSLATER is an educator, designer, and performer residing in Chicago, IL, offering specialized school performing arts academies to expose young inner-city students to instrumental, choral, technology, and general music to better prepare them to be productive members of high school and college programs as well as their community ensembles.

Bobby has had the pleasure of performing with and teaching many DCI and DCA drum and bugle corps, including Racine Scouts, Americanos, East Coast Jazz, Madison Scouts, Kilties, Chops, and Govenaires. His WGI experience includes Americanos Indoor, Pioneer Indoor, Chops Indoor Percussion, Eagan High School, and Phoenix Drumline.

He is an active performing member of the Chicago Bears Drumline and is the Founder of Bonslater Creative Designs and Founder of the Chicago Youth Arts Organization. He has recently been awarded the Superior Ratings and top honors for WGI’s 2020 and 2021 Solo and Ensemble for both Trumpet and Clarinet in the 19+ category.

 

Landon Brady

Brass Instructor

LANDON BRADY has been the assistant band director at Karns High School in Knoxville, TN since 2022. He was the head band director at Union County High School from 2018-2022. He graduated from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville with a Bachelor of Music – Music Education degree in December of 2017. He marched one season with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014, playing euphonium.

Landon is a trombone player born outside of Memphis, TN and now resides in Knoxville, TN. His primary studio teachers at UTK include Dr. Daniel Cloutier and Dr. Alex van Duuren. In addition to band directing, he is also the marching drill writer for various local high school programs in the East Tennessee area.

Matt Collins

Brass Instructor

MATT COLLINS currently serves as a Band Director in Duxbury Public Schools in Duxbury, Massachusetts. His teaching duties range from beginning 5th grade brass lessons up through high school wind ensemble.

Matt attended Penn State University, where he received a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree. While at Penn State, Matt studied trumpet with Dr. Langston J. Fitzgerald III and wind conducting with Professor Dennis Glocke. He then continued his studies at the Berklee College of Music, where he earned a Professional Certificate and was the recipient of the Mark Mothersbaugh scholarship for his academic excellence.

Matt spent two summers performing with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, aging out in 2016 as a lead trumpet soloist and section leader. He was later hired as a member of the brass instructional team for the 2017 season.

Sean Conway

Brass Instructor

SEAN CONWAY is Director of Bands at St. Croix Central High School in Hammond, WI, where he has been since 2017, and is currently the music director for Fleurish Winds. Previously, he worked for six years as a trumpet technician for the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps after marching there from 2009 to 2012, and spent two years as an assistant director at Waukesha North High School and Butler Middle School in Waukesha, WI.

Originally from Rosemount, MN, Sean earned his bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. There he performed with the university’s Wind Symphony, Concert Choir, Symphony Orchestra, and served as drum major for the Blugold Marching Band.

Ron Eichstedt

Brass Instructor

RON EICHSTEDT is a native of Southern California, where he grew up in the Inland Empire area. He attended Etiwanda High School under the direction of Don Jaramillo and later worked at Etiwanda High School until 2009 as a staff member. During this time he was actively involved in performing ensembles at Riverside City College and Chaffey College. He was a member of Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps in 2004 and 2005 playing contra (tuba) and a staff member with Pacific Crest in 2006 and 2007.

In 2010, Mr. Eichstedt moved from Southern California and transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music degree, with an emphasis in Music Education in 2014. In the spring of 2021 he completed his Master’s of Music degree in Music Education.

He has been teaching at Edward C. Reed High School in Sparks, NV since 2014, where the band has grown to be one of the largest programs in Northern Nevada.

Currently Ron resides in Sparks, NV with his wife Jessica and 3 children, Rosie, Finnley, and Kennedy.

Derek Fritz

Brass Instructor

DEREK FRITZ is a senior music education major at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and is a graduate of Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, MN. In his time at UWEC, he has served as the principal tubist of the Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra, and as tuba section leader for the Blugold Marching Band – the largest Division III marching band in the country.

Derek spent four seasons with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, where he was section leader for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In the fall he works as a guest clinician with a number of high school bands throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota and is a music and visual instructor with the Rosemount High School Marching Band from Rosemount, MN. When not working with bands, Derek spends his free time with his pet rabbit, Philip.

Jacob Kessler

Brass Instructor

JACOB KESSLER is currently the Director of Bands at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, IN. He is a recent graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he studied horn with Jeff Nelsen, and also served as Drum Major for the Marching Hundred for two years.

Jacob performed with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps for three years. During his time, he served as Mellophone Section Leader and Horn Sergeant. He continues to be an active performer and lessons teacher in the Indianapolis area.

DJ Landoll

Brass Instructor

DJ LANDOLL is currently serving as Assistant Band Director at Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN. Previously, he worked as a graduate assistant with the band program at James Madison University, where he earned a Master of Music in Conducting under Stephen Bolstad.

His teaching experience also includes three seasons on the brass staff with the Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps and work with several competitive high school programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where he studied horn with Zach Smith. His performing experience in the DCI World Class includes the Glassmen and Madison Scouts. He continues to be an active teacher and performer in the Northern Indiana region.

Darren Loney

Brass Instructor

DARREN LONEY is the Director of Instrumental Music at Gahr High School in Cerritos, California, and serves as the High School Music Coordinator for the ABC Unified School District. He oversees the Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Color Guard, Winter Guard, Percussion Ensemble, and Winter Drumline. After reinstating the competitive marching band program in 2013, Gahr High School has been undefeated in the CSBC Circuit, being crowned the “California State Band Grand Champions” in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Mr. Loney’s concert and jazz ensembles have consistently received superior ratings for performance and sight-reading at SCSBOA adjudicated festivals, and the Winter Guard and Winter Drumline programs have been finalists in WGASC and SCPA, respectively. Before his tenure at Gahr High School, Mr. Loney spent four years as the band director at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, CA.

Mr. Loney was recently awarded the “Certificate of Merit for Marching Excellence” from the National Band Association for outstanding contributions to marching bands. Mr. Loney was named 2014-15 “Teacher of the Year” at Gahr High School, and before that the 2010-11 “Teacher of the Year” at La Quinta High School. Under his direction, the Gahr High School Instrumental Music Program received the “NAMM Support Music Merit Award” in 2018 for its outstanding commitment to music education.

Mr. Loney holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach, where he studied trombone performance with James Miller, principal trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During his credential work, he was the inaugural recipient of the Bob Cole Conservatory “Music Education Award.” He completed Level II Kodály Certification studying Kodály methodology, solfege, conducting, and folk song analysis. Mr. Loney was a marching member of the Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps and Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. In addition to teaching, he is an avid arranger, composer, and drill writer for ensembles throughout Southern California.

Mr. Loney holds membership in the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association, California Music Educators Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the International Thespian Society, and the Golden Key International Honor Society. He has presented as a guest speaker at conferences for SCSBOA and the Kansas Bandmasters Association. Loney resides in Lakewood with his beautiful wife Laura and daughter Lauren.

Kyle Martinez

Brass Instructor

KYLE MARTINEZ is a music educator and professional musician based out of the Inland Empire in Southern California. Alongside his career in music education, Kyle works professionally as a trumpet player in the jazz, classical, and commercial idioms throughout the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire areas. Kyle received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Cal Poly Pomona and is currently one of the directors at Ayala High School in Chino Hills, California.

For the past fifteen years, Kyle has been highly active in the world of marching arts. Upon receiving his drum corps experience from the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, Kyle has worked with several high school marching ensembles as well as drum corps in the realms of musical and visual technique, performance, and design.

His training is credited to his educational institutions and the private instruction of master teachers and musicians: David Evans, Jeff Elwood, Kye Palmer, Bill Cunliffe, Ricky Badua, Tom Luer, and Mitch Fennell.

Matt Miller

Brass Instructor

MATT MILLER is an active composer and arranger for marching ensembles throughout Southern California. He holds a Master of Music degree in film scoring from the University of Southern California as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in music composition from California State University, Long Beach.

Matt marched five years with the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps (2015-2019) as a euphonium soloist and section leader, receiving the Brass Member of the Year award during his age-out summer. He also performed with Dark Sky Percussion in 2016 as a member of the cymbal line. Since 2016, Matt has taught as a music and visual instructor at Gahr High School in Cerritos, CA. He joined the Pacific Crest brass team in 2022.

Noah Oliver

Brass Instructor

NOAH OLIVER is currently a student at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, working towards a Bachelor of Music in Music Studies. At Texas State he is bass trombonist of the Symphony Orchestra and has performed in multiple ensembles, including the Trombone Choir and Jazz Orchestra.

Noah marched with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from 2015 to 2018, serving as the baritone section leader for the last two years. Noah has taught visual and music at Rouse High School in the Leander Independent School District since 2016.

Sam Perez

Brass Instructor

SAMUEL PEREZ III currently serves as the Assistant Band Director at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, CA. His teaching responsibilities include The Poly Marching Unit and the Concert Band, as well as overseeing the program’s Winter Color Guard.

Sam attended California University State Long Beach, where he received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He will be pursuing his Master’s of Music Teaching and Learning from the University of Southern California in Fall of 2023, while being a member of the Trojan Marching Band and Concert Jazz Orchestra. Additionally, Sam is a member of the Lakers Band, and as an avid trumpet player, regularly gigs and records on albums in the Los Angeles area.

Sam spent three summers performing with Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, serving as a three time lead trumpet soloist, trumpet section leader, and horn sergeant in 2021. He went on to age-out with The Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, helping them earn their 20th World Championship and was named the Brass Rookie of the Year. Sam is very excited to join the Pacific Crest brass team this season and give back to an organization that has provided him with countless opportunities.

Nathan Pratt

Brass Instructor

NATHAN PRATT is excited to spend his 11th summer of DCI with Pacific Crest, having spent three seasons as a member of the Madison Scouts mellophone section and six seasons with the Madison Scouts brass instructional staff.

Nathan has worked as a band and choir director at Tri-North Middle School in Bloomington, IN, as an assistant director of the Bloomington High School North Cougar Band, and as an instructor in the elementary school strings program in Bloomington. He and his wife, Sierra, enjoy the outdoors and have spent lots of time living in a tent as they walk along the Appalachian Trail in 2018. Beginning in 2019, he will pursue a Master of Divinity degree at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 2014, Nathan received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied voice with Michael Sylvester and Wolfgang Brendel. He was the 2013 recipient of the Frederick C. Ebbs Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually by the Department of Bands. Nathan performed with the Indiana University Marching Hundred for five years, serving as drum major in 2012 and 2013.

Zach Sheller

Brass Instructor

ZACH SHELLER is currently studying music education with a minor in business management at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is principal euphonium for the UTA Wind Symphony and was a drum major in the Maverick Marching Band in 2017 before serving as an undergraduate assistant in 2018. Zach started marching with the Madison Scouts in 2012 as a baritone and euphonium player before serving as a drum major from 2015 through 2017.

Zach was raised in the greater Austin area and currently lives in Arlington, TX. He has been a private lesson teacher and marching tech in both the greater Austin and Dallas Fort Worth areas, serving as a visual instructor for Vista Ridge High School, Birdville High School, Coppell High School, and currently with Centennial High School in Burleson, Texas. Along with teaching, he spent the summer of 2018 with the Seattle Cascades as an administrative assistant and leadership consultant.

Jordan Simmons

Brass Instructor

JORDAN SIMMONS is working towards his Master’s Degree in Instrumental Conducting at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where he studies with David Bertman. Jordan has also received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Houghton College. While completing his undergraduate degree, Jordan served as an Interm Band Director for the Belfast Central School music program.

Jordan marched with Carolina Crown as a Met Runner in the 2022 season. He currently works with the Spirit of Houston as a Graduate Assistant.

Seth Shumate

Brass Instructor

SETH SHUMATE is currently working towards his undergraduate degree in horn performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Jonathan Ring, 2nd horn of the San Francisco Symphony. Seth has taught at several high school programs in the Southern California area, including Alta Loma High School, Gladstone High school, and Sunny Hills high school. Seth also worked with Vanguard Cadets in 2022 as a mellophone technician.

Seth marched with Pacific Crest from 2016 to 2017, Phantom Regiment from 2018 to 2019, and finally aged out with Santa Clara Vanguard in 2021.

Joelle Varner

Brass Instructor

JOELLE VARNER is a band director at Dahlstrom Middle School in Buda, Texas. She was born and raised in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Joelle holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Delaware with a tuba concentration and a voice minor. She also holds a master’s in music education from Texas State University. Prior to her current position, Joelle taught elementary band and orchestra in Maryland and middle school band, chorus, general music, and musical theatre in New Jersey.

Joelle marched tuba with the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps in 2012 and conducted the corps in 2013. She also marched cymbals in WGI in 2014 with United Percussion. Joelle has served as a brass and visual instructor for several drum corps, including Raiders, Pacific Crest, and Blue Stars, and for high school bands in PA, MD, NJ, and TX. Currently, she works with the Moe & Gene Johnson High School Marching Band in Buda, TX. Joelle resides in Kyle, TX.

Christian Blydt-Hansen
Battery Manager

CHRISTIAN BLYDT-HANSEN graduated from California State University Long Beach, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He currently resides in Orange County, CA, working full time as a software engineer.

Christian has performed with Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, Dark Sky Percussion, Pulse Percussion, and the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. He currently performs with Sidle Entertainment, the LA Chargers Thunderbolts Drumline, and the LA Kings Drumline.

Christian has previously worked with Fountain Valley High School, Redondo Union High School, and Santiago High School, and Gold Drum and Bugle Corps. He currently works at POW Percussion and has been teaching there for the past four seasons. This is Christian’s first year teaching at Pacific Crest.

Jack Johnson
Battery Manager

JACK JOHNSON is a percussion educator residing in Manhattan, Kansas. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance at Kansas State University. Jack holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication and a Music Minor from The University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. He has marched with Blue Stars, Pacific Crest, Minnesota Brass Indoor, and Minnesota Brass Drum and Bugle Corps.

Jack is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Kansas State University, where he serves as the Director and Arranger for the Kansas State University Drumline along with other administrative and educational duties with the concert and percussion ensembles.

He has previously served on the percussion staff at Colt Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, Minnesota Brass Indoor, and has worked with numerous percussion sections in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas. Additionally, Jack was the Percussion Arranger for the Blugold Marching Band (UW-Eau Claire) in 2019 and 2020.

Gabriel Bustamante
Snare

GABRIEL BUSTAMANTE’S marching experience includes Gold 2017-2019, POW 2019, and Pulse 2020-2022. As an instructor, he has taught numerous drumlines across San Diego county, and currently teaches the drumlines at San Marcos HS and Scripps Ranch HS. He has also taught the Gold Drum and Corps snareline in the summer of 2022, and is currently teaching the snareline at POW percussion for the 2024 indoor season.

Josh Hall
Snare

JOSH HALL is a full-time music director at Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, CA, teaching courses in percussion methods, digital music production, and modern rock band. He works directly with the concert bands, percussion ensemble, marching band, and indoor percussion ensemble. In addition to his instructional roles, Josh also serves as the battery arranger and assistant program coordinator with the marching band and indoor percussion ensemble at Mission Hills.

Josh has taught, consulted, arranged, and worked as a clinician for several high school percussion ensembles and independent organizations in Southern California, recently instructing with Gold Indoor Percussion and Gold Drum and Bugle Corps. His performance experience includes Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, Dark Sky Percussion, the San Diego State University Marching Aztecs, and the SDSU wind symphony and symphony orchestra.

Josh holds a B.A. in Communication and a Minor in Classical Music from SDSU, as well as an M.A. in Communication from SDSU. He proudly endorses Innovative Percussion Inc. sticks and mallets.

Adam Sanchez
Snare

ADAM SANCHEZ is originally from Bakersfield, CA and now resides in Southern California, where he is currently pursuing a degree in Jazz/Commercial music studies from California State University Fullerton.

Adam has studied with legendary jazz drumset players such as Rodolfo Zuniga and Paul Kreibich. His jazz education is currently under the director of Grammy award-winning musician and composer Bill Cunliffe. Adam has performed in many well established groups such as the Bakersfield College Drumline, Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps, the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, and Pulse Percussion.

Adam currently teaches at POW Percussion, Cerritos High School, and Sunny Hills High School. This is his first year teaching Pacific Crest.

Alexis Vargas
Snare

ALEXIS VARGAS is an educator and designer based in the Inland Empire of Southern California.

Alexis has previously worked with Temescal Canyon HS and with the Vanguard Cadets in 2022. He is currently working with Arlington HS, Del Norte HS, and Valley View HS.

His marching experience includes Gold in 2016, Orange County Independent Percussion in 2017, and Vessel Indoor Percussion in 2018 and 2020.

Alexis is also a recent graduate of the University of California Riverside where he majored in political science with a minor in philosophy.

Zach Wilson
Snare

ZACH WILSON began his marching career with Chino Hills HS from 2014-2017. He went on to march with the Blue Stars 2017, Pulse Percussion 2018-2022, and Bluecoats 2018-2021. In addition, through Pacific Crest, he was involved in leading the Marching Vlogs Drumline during the summer of 2020, helping the organization and the City of Industry to raise money and donate to a local food bank.

For the past six years, Zach has run the Townsend Jr. HS drumline program and served as battery manager at Chino Hills HS and Gahr HS, running the full percussion ensemble and coordinating the visual package year-round. Apart from these programs, he has begun designing the show, drill, and music for Hoover HS as of the 2024 indoor season.

Zach joined the Bluecoats battery staff in 2022 and has been with Pulse Percussion since 2023. His responsibilities at Pulse include snare arranging, visual detailing, and teaching the battery (with a snare focus). His responsibilities at Bluecoats include visual detailing, teaching the battery (with a snare focus), and running the percussion ensemble throughout the season.

Nate Carroll
Tenors

NATE CARROLL graduated from Chino Hills HS in 2014 and began his teaching career straight out of high school. He was a member of Pulse Percussion from 2015 to 2018, leading the group in 2017 and 2018. He has taught multiple award-winning WGI Scholastic and Junior Class ensembles, including Etiwanda HS, Townsend JHS, and Chino Hills HS.

Nate continues to develop his teaching experience and philosophy across all experience levels and has grown a passion for youth education since aging out of the activity in 2018.

Nate has served as a consultant for WGI World Class Finalist, POW Percussion, serving as Battery Coordinator in 2019. He is currently the Ensemble Coordinator for Élan Percussion. His DCI teaching experience includes Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps in 2017 and 2019, and Gold Drum & Bugle Corps in 2018. Nate is a member of the Vic Firth Educational team and lives in Azusa, CA.

Luis Garcia
Tenors

LUIS GARCIA graduated from California State University of Fullerton with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He resides in Orange County, CA, working full-time as a mechanical engineer.

Luis has performed with Golden Empire DBC, Bakersfield College Indoor Drumline, Pacific Crest, POW Percussion, and Pulse Percussion. He works with POW percussion and Blue Stars DBC as a battery instructor. Luis has worked with many high schools in the Bakersfield area and the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets for their 2022 season.

Jack May
Tenors

JACK MAY is a percussion educator from Diamond Bar, CA. He started his marching career at Diamond Bar High School while marching with Pacific Crest the summer before his senior year. After graduating, Jack performed for three years with Dark Sky Percussion before joining the staff at Meraki Percussion for the 2022 season.

In addition to Meraki, Jack also teaches at El Dorado HS, La Quinta HS, and most recently Gold Drum and Bugle Corps. This will be Jack’s first year on staff with Pacific Crest.

Carlos Lujan
Bass Drum

CARLOS LUJAN is a marching percussionist and educator from Riverside, CA. He started his marching career at Watchmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2017-2018. He then continued on to march at RCC Fall in 2019, 2020, 2022, Troopers in 2021, and Pulse Percussion in 2022.

His teaching experience includes Valley View High School (2021-present), Arlington High School (2022-present), and Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps in 2022. This is Carlos’s first year on staff at Pacific Crest.

When Carlos is not teaching he enjoys walking with his dog, spending time with family and friends, and watching movies.

Otto Peralta
Bass Drum

OTTO PERALTA is a percussion educator with over a decade-long commitment to advancement in talent in Southern California. His performance experience includes: Garfield Independent, Gold Drum & Bugle Corps, charter member of POW Percussion, and finally aging out with The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps and Pulse Percussion. Otto has worked with various successful ensembles including Palisades Charter High School, La Quinta High School, Vessel Indoor, Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps, and many more.

Presently, Otto is actively teaching at Mira Costa High School, POW Percussion, and is the Battery Caption Head at West High School in Torrance, CA.

Dominick Villaverde
Bass Drum

DOMINICK VILLAVERDE has been involved with marching percussion since 2014. Graduating from Diamond Bar High School in 2017, he went on to obtain a degree in Pure Mathematics from Cal Poly Pomona in the Spring of 2021 with a specification in Secondary Teaching, along with continuing his involvement in the marching arts. From there, he marched with DCI groups Pacific Crest (2016-2017), Mandarins (2019), Blue Devils (2020), as well as WGI groups POW Percussion (2018) and Broken City (2019-2022).

Since graduating in 2017, Dominick has taught a handful of groups throughout the Southern California area, including North Torrance HS, El Modena HS, Diamond Bar HS, Claremont HS, Nogales HS, Etiwanda HS, and currently La Quinta HS, El Dorado HS, and Vista Murrieta HS. He has also gone on to teach DCI groups Gold and Blue Devils B, as well as helping design visual aesthetics for both Meraki Percussion and Glendora HS.

Steven Vonderohe
Front Ensemble Manager

STEVEN VONDEROHE is a musician, educator, and composer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago who is devoted to sharing and advancing the art of music and the percussive arts.

Since receiving his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music, he has actively taught in a variety of settings, from public high schools and middle schools to lesson studios and independent ensembles. As an educator in the Illinois marching community, Steven works at Romeoville HS as Front Ensemble Instructor and Arranger, and also serves as Ensemble Director and Arranger at Pi Percussion, an independent WGI ensemble.

As a performer, Steven has played with orchestras, chamber ensembles, jazz combos, pop/rock bands, drum lines, choirs, and musical productions, and is able to approach each situation with a high level of professionalism and passion. He is also a seasoned performer in the Drum Corps activity, where he spent five seasons playing marimba with the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps.

Currently, Steven performs on tenors with the Bulls’ Stampede Drum Line, plays drum set with his band AM/FM in the greater Chicago area, and writes/produces his own music as a solo pianist and percussionist.

Christian Brown
Front Ensemble

CHRISTIAN BROWN is a Music Education major at the University of Texas at El Paso based in El Paso, TX under the direction of Dr. Andy P. Smith. He has extensive drum corps experience, starting in 2016 as a performer with Horizon DBC, Oregon Crusaders, Crossmen and 2022 DCI silver medalist the Boston Crusaders. His performance experience continued in WGI with Sun City Indoor (2019) and Monarch Independent Percussion (2022, 2023). Christian has performed in the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) as both a chamber ensemble performer and as a solo marimba performer for several years.

Currently, he serves as the Front Ensemble Coordinator for Pebble Hills HS in El Paso, TX, under Percussion Director Dan Hunt. He is also a front ensemble consultant in the El Paso area for various high schools, most recently giving his “Coast To Coast Front Ensemble Approach” clinic presentation at the University of Texas at El Paso. He arranges small chamber percussion ensembles for various organizations which are performed by himself and fellow colleagues.

Christian is currently a member of Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and a member of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), where he will be participating in the college chamber ensemble performance group. He has studied under Dr. Andy P. Smith, Dr. Ian Moyer, Dr. Lane Summerlin, Andy Filipiak and Art Avila Jr.

Richard Diaz
Front Ensemble

RICHARD DIAZ joined the Pacific Crest percussion staff in 2017. He currently teaches both drumlines at Great Oak High School and Rancho Verde High School. He started teaching at Ramona High School (Riverside) in 2005 and has worked with several other percussion programs throughout Southern California such as Chaparral HS, Patriot HS, La Quinta HS (La Quinta), Vista HS, Carlsbad HS, and Pulse Percussion.

Richard’s performance experience includes RCC Fall Marching Band (2004-2005) and Black Knights Indoor Percussion (2005).

Christian Do
Front Ensemble

CHRISTIAN DO was raised in Fountain Valley, California. He began his marching career at La Quinta High School in Westminster, CA, and has since then taken interest in design and composition in the marching arts.

Christian has performed with various Southern California ensembles including POW Percussion (2015), Pulse Percussion (2016-2017), and most recently with Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (2018).

Since 2016, Christian has served as Lead Designer/Ensemble Coordinator for Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley, CA, working with both the marching band and indoor drumline programs. Other programs he has worked with include La Quinta High School, Chino Hills High School, and Warm Springs Middle School.

Christian attended California State University, Fullerton where he received his B.A. in Pure Mathematics.

Christian Perez
Front Ensemble

Coming soon

Carrie Appel

Color Guard Instructor

CARRIE APPEL is a proud Pacific Crest alumnae, born and raised in Southern California. Her color guard career started in 2011 and led to an extensive marching history including: Dos Pueblos HS, UCLA Marching Band, Infinity Winterguard, Pacific Crest, Diamante, and the Santa Clara Vanguard. Carrie also had the opportunity to march in other types of performance ensembles such as the LA Pride Parade, Pacific Crest’s 25th Anniversary appearance in the Rose Parade, CBDNA Intercollegiate Marching Band, and in the visual ensemble at Pulse Percussion.

Carrie is a full-time color guard instructor and has taught many programs in the past seven years as a director, choreographer, and technician. She is currently the director of the UCLA Color Guard, a role she has held since 2019, in addition to serving on the color guard staff at Arcadia High School, West (Torrance) High School, and Zoetic Independent. Scholastic programs that Carrie has worked with in the past include Culver City High School, Granada Hills Charter, and others in the Los Angeles area. Carrie was also a main choreographer for the Vanguard Cadets during the 2022 season, helping lead them to a DCI Open Class Championship.

Carrie attended UCLA and holds a bachelor’s degree in World Arts and Cultures, and Visual and Performing Arts Education. She is excited to return home to Pacific Crest.

Stephanie Dee

Color Guard Instructor

STEPHANIE DEE has been involved in the marching arts for over 15 years. After falling in love with color guard in middle school, she continued her training at La Mirada High School and became captain her senior year. After graduating, she performed with Pacific Crest in 2010, 2011, and 2013, becoming an I&E Champion with her twin sister Crystal in 2011. These experiences renewed her focus on dance and design and would carry her on to acquire a Dance Associate in Arts Degree from Fullerton College. While earning her degree, she attended and performed at multiple dance festivals through the ACDF Association.

Since 2010, Stephanie has shared her love for dance and color guard in a variety of settings. She has had the pleasure to teach at high schools and clinics around Southern California, including California HS, Troy HS, and Rubidoux HS. Additionally, she had the opportunity to teach dance and color guard techniques to children through dance ministries and in Costa Rica in 2018.

From 2012-2015, Stephanie performed with Roses of the Night, an International Dance Company performing across Southern California and specializing in Egyptian Cabaret, Tahitian, and Afro-Caribbean movement. Most recently, she was a Parade and Character Performer at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim from 2016-2020.

Stephanie currently teaches at California HS and Santa Fe HS and resides in Anaheim with her husband, Matthew.

Kalyla Foster

Coming soon

Alyssa Lambert-Garcia

Color Guard Instructor

ALYSSA LAMBERT-GARCIA began her color guard career in high school in 2005. After graduating, she continued to perform as a member of the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band Color Guard and The Academy Winter Guard. She also was a member of the The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2008-2012 and the Blue Devils in 2013.

Alyssa has been an active color guard instructor with multiple high schools and independent programs in the Phoenix area since 2010, as well as The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps (2015-2018) and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (2019-present). Outside of color guard, Alyssa obtained her Masters in Accountancy from Arizona State University and is a licensed CPA.

Crystal Hoopiiaina

Coming soon

Joshua Hill

Coming soon

Cameron Hudson

Color Guard Instructor

CAMERON HUDSON was introduced to the performing arts in 2014 and has been committed to it ever since. He spent four years in color guard at Highland HS, and after graduating in 2017 was determined to continue pursuing his love of performing and teaching.

He began his coaching career as a technician at Highland HS in 2018 and continued developing experience as caption head at Quartz Hill HS in 2019. Cameron also continued his performance experience in 2019 and 2020 with Icon Winter Guard, which went on to win the gold medal at WGI World Championships 2019. His drum corps career began in 2019 when he marched with Pacific Crest for their monumental season “Everglow”. He went on to perform with the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2020 and “dual” aged-out from both SCV and Pacific Crest in their 2021 seasons.

Cameron is looking forward to expanding his knowledge and experience in coaching as well as sharing his passion and expertise with the students at Pacific Crest. He currently resides in Menifee, CA and is working towards his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science at University of California Riverside. When he is not studying or working at his local market, Cameron likes to sketch and play video games with friends.

Nikolas Matsamura

Coming soon

Jorge Preciado

Color Guard Instructor

JORGE PRECIADO has been involved in the performing arts since 2014. While attending Royal High School, he was a member of the Tournament of Roses Honor Band in 2015 and 2016. After graduating, he spent his next three summers with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016-2018. He also performed with Icon Winter Guard in 2017 and 2019—where he and his teammates won the Independent A gold medal at WGI World Championships—and Fantasia Winter Guard in 2018. He finished his drum corps career with the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2019.

Jorge is very excited for his second season with Pacific Crest. He has also worked with many stellar programs including: Pasadena City College, Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps, Etiwanda HS, Westminster HS, and Royal HS.

Jorge resides in Ventura County with his chosen family and kitten named Katara.

Sam Ray

Color Guard Instructor

SAM RAY began her color guard career in high school. After graduating, she continued to perform as a member of the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps and the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. In the off-season, she performed with and was a founding member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Winterguard.

Sam has been an active color guard instructor since graduating from high school. She has worked with multiple high schools in the Las Vegas valley including Arbor View High School, Foothill High School, and Pinecrest Academy Cadence Marching Band. She recently moved to the Pacific Northwest and is currently the Color Guard Director at Southridge High School.

Outside of color guard, Sam obtained her Bachelors in Public Health from UNLV and is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

Andrea Schwartz

Color Guard Instructor

ANDREA SCHWARTZ has been involved in the color guard activity since 2004, beginning with the Biglerville High School marching band. Andrea continued at Carlisle High School from 2006-2010. During the winter season, she marched with Sitao (2008) and Field of View (2009-2014). Andrea was a color guard member of Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps (2010-2013), as well as West Chester University Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band (2010-2013). After years of participation in the activity, Andrea was an instructor at Cumberland Valley High School (2014-2019), Cadets2 (2016-2018), Field of View (2016, 2017, 2020) and West Shore School District (2019-2021).

Since then, Andrea has relocated to Alexandria, Virginia to utilize her current B.A in Psychology from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Andrea provides mental health case management services to adults within the District of Columbia at Hillcrest Children and Family Center. Currently, she is working on completing her Masters in Social Work in hopes of utilizing social work perspectives in both her future career and the marching arts activity. When Andrea isn’t working, she can be found spending her time with her dog, Gracie Lou, watching Disney movies, hiking around the Potomac River, and exploring all that Washington, D.C. has to offer. She looks forward to working with Pacific Crest this summer!

Eric Simpson

Color Guard Instructor

ERIC SIMPSON is a color guard instructor, designer, and choreographer from Perris, CA. He has been involved with the marching arts for over 10 years.

After graduating from Citrus Hill HS, Eric went on to march at Watchmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018, Gold Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019 (where he earned the DCI Open Class bronze medal), and the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2021. During his age-out season, Eric marched with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, earning a gold medal at the 2022 DCI World Championships.

Most recently he spent five seasons, including three as captain, with Vox Artium Winterguard from San Diego, CA, winners of the WGI Open Class World Championships in 2023.

Eric currently serves as the Color Guard Director at Dorothy McElhinney MS, Citrus Hill HS, and Chaparral HS. Outside of Color Guard, he works as a substitute teacher at Val Verde Unified School District. Eric is also a recent graduate of the University of California, Riverside where he earned his BA in Education, Society, and Human Development with a minor in Public Policy.

Kassandra Vasquez

Color Guard Instructor

KASSANDRA VASQUEZ is a recent California State University, Fullerton graduate, having received a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and minor in journalism. She started performing color guard in high school and continued to perform in Drum Corps International.

Kassandra spent two summers spinning with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018 and 2019. She later went on to complete her final season with Carolina Crown in 2021. Recently she helped choreograph and teach with the Bands of America honor band for the Rose Parade in 2022. Kassandra continues to pursue a dance career in the Orange County and Los Angeles area.

Brittany Whitlow

Color Guard Instructor

BRITTANY WHITLOW started her color guard journey in 2014. She spent four years in Green Valley High School’s color guard program in Las Vegas, Nevada. During her time at Green Valley HS, as a sophomore, she and a fellow teammate started the first middle school program in the Las Vegas area at the time. Starting this middle school color guard sparked a new passion for teaching, and after graduating in 2018 she was excited to continue performing and teaching.

In the fall of 2018, she continued her teaching career as a Color Guard Director at Greenspun JHS and a Technician at Desert Oasis HS. She was soon offered the Color Guard Director position for Desert Oasis in the fall of 2019. She has recently become a Weapon choreographer and Technician at Silverado HS in the winter of 2021 and was also a guest instructor at Western HS in 2021.

Brittany’s passion for performing made her start her drum corps career in 2018 with Heatwave Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2019 she continued performing with the Open Class group 702 Independent that following winter season. Her drum corps career continued when she marched with Pacific Crest in 2019 for their monumental season. She continued to perform with Pacific Crest for the following 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Brittany currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada and continues to pass on her passion for color guard to her 3 programs. She is ecstatic for her first season teaching at Pacific Crest, and cannot wait to see the unique personality and skill set of the 2023 cast.

Peter Bement

Visual Instructor

PETER BEMENT is an accomplished educator and performer, bringing over a decade of quality music education and performance to almost every stage. Mr. Bement hails from Costa Mesa, CA, and graduated from California State University, Fullerton. There, he earned both his Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance and a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting. Mr. Bement’s principal conducting mentors include Dustin Barr, Gregory Whitmore, Kimo Furumoto, and Kevin Mayse.

Mr. Bement currently serves as the Interim Director of Bands and Interim Director of Orchestra at California State University, Los Angeles, where he also instructs students in conducting and teaches music theory coursework. Mr. Bement also serves as the Director of Orchestra for the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts and Huntington Beach High School, serving music students across the Huntington Beach school district. In this role, he leads the APA Pit Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Festival Orchestra and coordinates the chamber music programs. Mr. Bement has also served as a guest graduate conductor with the instrumental ensembles at CSUF, where he worked with the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Winds, and Symphony Orchestra over the past two years. These conducting opportunities included the premiere of new literature for the wind ensemble by composer Jack Bertrand and collaborations with Kristian de Leon, a significant area of research interest of Mr. Bement. Additionally, he frequently serves as the cover conductor for the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, working alongside Dr. Gregory Whitmore as a sectional and substitute conductor. His conducting expertise has led to significant recognition and accolades, such as the CSUF College of the Arts “Dream Big” Scholarship.

Beyond the podium, Mr. Bement continues actively teaching and performing in and around the greater Los Angeles area. A strong supporter of the multifaceted elements of K-12 music education, Bement frequently has collaborated with high school music programs in both the concert band and marching scene, working in the past with Rancho Cucamonga High School and Garden Grove High School. He is entering his third year with the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps as a visual instructor. As a Hornist, Mr. Bement has performed with organizations such as the Corona Symphony, Westside Ballet, and Performance Riverside. Additionally, Mr. Bement’s experience in the world of the marching arts includes seasons marched with Pacific Crest and the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps.

Alongside his degrees from California State University, Fullerton, Mr. Bement holds an Associate of Arts from Riverside City College and is a proud alumnus of both institutions. In his free time, Mr. Bement especially enjoys disc golf and brewing specialty coffee.

Natalie Brady

Visual Instructor

NATALIE BRADY is a visual designer, choreographer, and educator in the Greater Cincinnati/Dayton areas, working with a variety of high school, Open Class, and World Class ensembles since 2015.

Currently, Natalie is the Movement Coordinator at 7th Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps, works on the visual team for both Cap City Percussion World and Open Class ensembles, and is a visual technician and choreographer for Valhalla Winds, an Independent Open Class Winds Ensemble. She is also the Director and Visual Coordinator/Designer for the Oak Hills Indoor Percussion Ensemble; Visual Caption Head/Choreographer for the Oak Hills High School Marching Band; works on the visual/choreography team for Miamisburg Winds; and serves as a visual consultant for other local high school programs.

Most recently, Natalie continued her education as a 2023 Bluecoats Fellow studying visual design and choreography with mentor Jim Moore. She also worked as the Visual Caption Head for Cincinnati Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps (2023) and Assistant Marching Band Director/Visual Caption Head for the Highlands High School Marching Band (2019-2022).

Natalie is thrilled to join the team at Pacific Crest for the 2024 season!

Andrew Fresquez

Visual Instructor

ANDREW FRESQUEZ spent his drum corps career at Pacific Crest, playing baritone from 2014-2016, and moving on to take the role of assistant drum major in 2017 and served as the Head Drum Major during his age-out season in 2018. He also served as a Drum Major for the 2019 Pacific Crest Rose Parade Ensemble.

Andrew is currently studying Music Performance on Bass Trombone at California State University, Fullerton. After, he plans to pursue his teaching credential. He also holds an A.A in Music and Social & Behavioral Studies from Riverside City College.

He currently works with Etiwanda High School as a music instructor, and Rancho Cucamonga High School as a visual instructor.

Andrew resides in Fullerton, California.

Abraham Garcia

Visual Instructor

ABRAHAM GARCIA is a music educator residing in Chandler, Arizona. He earned his Bachelor of Instrumental Music Education in 2014 at Arizona State University. Abraham is completing his eighth year as an elementary school teacher in Mesa, AZ where he teaches band to fourth, fifth and sixth grade.

As an active member of Arizona’s marching arts education, Abraham has served in various instructional capacities at multiple schools throughout the valley including Cesar Chavez HS, Hamilton HS, Desert Vista HS, and Corona Del Sol HS. His experience as a drum corps member includes three years performing with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. In an instructional role, he taught as a visual educator with the Sacramento Mandarins for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He served as a visual instructor with The Arizona Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2014 through 2019. Abraham is currently serving as the Visual Caption Head at Corona Del Sol High School.

Michael Kong

Michael Kong

MICHAEL KONG is a visual instructor based in Mesa, Arizona. He earned his Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Arizona State University in 2020 and is currently pursuing a career in Physical Therapy.

His performance experience includes three summers with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He has worked as a visual instructor in schools throughout the East Valley of Arizona including Williams Field High School and Combs High School.

In his free time, Michael enjoys weightlifting, running, painting and photography. He is looking forward to an incredible summer with Pacific Crest!

Garret Lopez

Visual Instructor

GARRET LOPEZ has been involved with the marching activity for over 25 years as a musician, color guard performer, clinician, and educator. He has been part of the visual education staff at Pacific Crest for almost a decade and is excited to be part of this program once again.

An alumnus of Chino High School, he performed on clarinet, baritone, oboe, and saxophone. Garret began teaching at his alma mater in 1997 and continued to work there as an educator for 14 years, with 12 of those years spent as visual caption head. He has worked with various other high school programs in the region and is currently in his 12th year on staff with the Chino Hills HS marching band.

Garret spent five summers as a baritone player with the Santa Clara Vanguard from 1997-2001, winning a DCI Championship in 1999. In addition to his experiences as a musician, he also honed his color guard skills performing with Solution Performance Ensemble World Guard in 2001 and Fantasia World Guard in 2002, 2003, and 2006, winning two WGI gold medals.

Most recently, he earned his MBA with a concentration in Healthcare I.T. and is now working towards a degree in clinical informatics. He is a currently an employee at Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and resides in Azusa. Garret enjoys cooking, traveling, staying healthy, and volunteering his time to give to those in need, and is an advocate for suicide prevention and education and helping those that struggle with their mental health.

Julia Robles

Visual Instructor

JULIA ROBLES’ performance experience includes groups such as the Oregon Crusaders, Phantom Regiment, Dark Sky Percussion, and Santa Clara Vanguard.

Her teaching experience stretches back to the fall of 2016. She has spent the last 6 years teaching various high schools throughout Southern California, including Los Osos HS and Etiwanda HS. Julia has also taught at multiple drum corps and independent indoor groups including Instinct and POW Percussion.

Julia resides in Southern California with her pitbull Odie and her Jack Russel Terrier Zuko.

Bryan Scheidecker

Visual Instructor

After graduating from Ayala High School in 1999, BRYAN SCHEIDECKER has instructed at various schools and drum corps in Southern California and the Boston area in Massachusetts, most notably Ayala HS (Visual Staff – Chino Hills, CA), Chino Hills HS (Assistant Director/Percussion Director – Chino Hills, CA), Townsend Jr. HS (Assistant Director/Percussion Director – Chino Hills, CA), Nogales HS (Woodwind Caption Head – La Puente, CA), Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps (Visual Staff – Norwalk, CA – 2006 DCI Div III Champions), Bellflower HS (Visual Caption Head), Incognito Drum & Bugle Corps (Visual Caption Head, Garden Grove, CA), and Norwood HS (Visual Caption Head – Norwood, MA). Bryan is currently the Visual Caption Head for Williams Field HS in Gilbert, AZ.

In addition to instructing, Bryan is also an adjudicator and/or Contest Director for the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA), Winter Guard International (WGI), Winter Guard Arizona (WGAZ), and Arizona Marching Band Association (AzMBA). He also serves on the executive board for WGAZ as the Percussion & Winds Judges Coordinator/ Sponsorship Coordinator, and on the AzMBA board as the Sponsorship Coordinator.

Bryan also has a long history in the Musical Instrument industry including KMC Music (Percussion Specialist/Artist Relations), the Zildjian/Vic Firth Company (Assistant Director of Education/Artist Relations), Fender Musical Instruments (Dealer Support Lead), and is currently in Education Sales for Music & Arts.

As a performer, Bryan has played with artists such as Steve Wilkerson, Jeff Hamilton, the Jazz on the Latin Side All-stars, Poncho Sanchez, and as a soloist for Grammy Award winner Celine Dion.

Chris Schmitz

Visual Instructor

CHRIS SCHMITZ is a full time visual educator and designer based in Southern California.

His performance experience includes two years with the Sacramento Mandarins from 2016-2017. Chris was a visual tech at Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps from 2018-2022, and in 2022 joined the faculty at both Gold Drum and Bugle Corps and Gold Indoor Percussion.

At Tesoro High School, Chris has served as the visual caption head for two years. He is also currently on staff at Kennedy High School, Marina High School, Fallbrook High School, and Whittier High School.

In addition to teaching, Chris attends Fullerton College, where he is pursuing a Dance Education degree. He is very much looking forward to helping create a great learning environment at Pacific Crest!

Jared Seymour

Visual Instructor

JARED SEYMOUR is a middle school band and orchestra director residing in Southern California. He has been involved in the marching activity for more than 10 years as a performer and educator. He began his marching career at Glassmen in 2011 and finished with Bluecoats from 2013-2015.

As an educator, Jared has worked with multiple high schools and programs within the Central Valley and Southern California, as well as schools in the Southeast Michigan region. Jared has also served as a visual and music instructor during his tenure at DCI, including years spent at Jersey Surf, Academy, and Legends. Currently, he serves as a visual instructor for Bakersfield College Indoor Drumline and works with Ayala Band and Color Guard.

In his free time, Jared enjoys hiking, painting, reading, practicing classical guitar, and listening to/geeking out about music. Jared is thrilled and humbled to be teaching at Pacific Crest for the 2022 season and is looking forward to a fantastic season.

Harrison Toma

Visual Instructor

HARRISON TOMA is a music educator based in Southern California. He started his drum corps career with Pacific Crest in 2014 as a marching member and went on to be a drum major with The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps in 2015 and 2016. In 2020, he also served as a visual staff member with The Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps.

In addition to his drum corps career, Harrison has also served as a visual and music instructor for various high schools throughout Southern California, including Arcadia HS, Rancho Cucamonga HS, El Dorado HS and Vista Murrieta HS. Harrison holds an AA degree from Riverside City College in music and is currently pursing a BA in music education.

Star Wasson

Visual Instructor

STAR WASSON is a French horn player based out of Redlands, CA, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Redlands. She began her performance career in Austin, TX and continued performing on the field with Music City Drum Corps (2015-2016) and The Bluecoats (2017).

Although her degree is in performance, Star takes pride in her work as an educator. She puts great emphasis on ensuring that her students see growth in themselves throughout their seasons, regardless of their individual starting abilities. Star is currently the Visual and Brass Caption Head at Jurupa Hills HS and A.B. Miller HS, and is on the visual staff at Rancho Cucamonga HS.

Outside of teaching and performing, Star enjoys rock climbing, yoga, knitting, and spending time with her cat Minerva.

Sean Enright
Assistant Corps Director

SEAN ENRIGHT’S affiliation with Pacific Crest began in 2001, when he performed as a marching member in the (then) 2-valve G-baritone bugle section. He continued as a performer through 2004 and joined the brass staff for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

After working in reality television, Sean’s pursuit of a legal career took him away from Pacific Crest and to Chicago. Directly after graduating law school and becoming a licensed attorney in Illinois, Sean was sworn in as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County. During his career as a criminal prosecutor, he was a felony narcotics and firearms trial litigator and was assigned to the appeals, child protection, and domestic violence units.

After becoming an uncle and reaching any reasonable Southern Californian’s limit on Great Lakes winters, Sean returned to California in 2018 and immediately sought to reenter the PC fold. He joined the administrative staff in 2018 and has tried not to turn down any opportunity the organization has provided for him since. This includes obtaining his commercial driver’s license in 2019 and becoming an Assistant Drum Corps Director for the 2022 season.

In addition to his duties in as Assistant Corps Director and driving trucks on tour, Sean is in the process of building his own solo legal practice where lives in Vista.

Sean is a graduate of UCLA (BA ’06) where he was a member of the marching band and orientation staff, and Northwestern University (JD ’12).

Ayatey Shabazz
Assistant Corps Director

AYATEY SHABAZZ is the Founder, President, and CEO of The DevMusic Company, which focuses on quality print music for marching bands, concert bands, jazz bands, and percussion ensembles, as well as engraving and music preparation services for composers and other publishing companies. The DevMusic Company is global, with distribution in the United States, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Japan.

Ayatey is in demand as a composer of original works in the concert idiom and the marching arts. In addition to his many published wind band works, he has been commissioned to write several pieces for ensembles throughout the international band community. He also scores, orchestrates, and arranges music for film and TV, for Pixar and Disney, along with “bumper” music used by multiple television networks and music used for regional and national commercials.

Ayatey holds memberships in multiple professional and industry organizations such as the National Recording Academy (Grammys®), American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Association of Independent Publishers, Los Angeles Chapter (LAIMP), and several others.

Bianca Dulong
Tour Manager

Coming soon

Cameron Gandara
Rehearsal/Tour Assistant

Coming soon

Christian Ortiz
Rehearsal/Tour Assistant

Coming soon

Diana Marie Petersen
Tour Manager

Bio coming soon…

Kyle Torres
Rehearsal/Tour Assistant

KYLE TORRES hails from Montebello, CA. He marched Pacific Crest in 2017, 2019, and 2020 on trumpet, and also participated in the corps’ 2019 Rose Parade performance.

Kyle was first introduced to drum corps during his freshman year of high school and has been absolutely infatuated with the activity ever since.

Before joining Pacific Crest, he played trumpet in the Montebello High School Mighty Oiler Band for three years, and French horn in concert band for two years. He was also involved with the Theatre department for two years, where he focused on set design and acted in his senior year production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Kyle currently works for Vans and is very excited to give back to the drum corps activity while learning from the staff at Pacific Crest.

Tristen Trias
Rehearsal/Tour Assistant

Coming soon

Chris Campos
Food Service Manager

Coming soon

Linda Johnson
Food Service Manager

Bio coming soon…

Armando Duenas
Food Service Manager

Coming soon

Joann Martinez
Uniforms Manager

Coming soon

Jim Olea
Health Team Coordinator

JIM OLEA has been involved in DCI as both a performer and professional for nearly 20 years. He performed in the bass line with Pacific Crest from 1994-96 and Santa Clara Vanguard in 1997. For more than a decade, he has worked with a number of World and Open class corps’ health teams. Highlights include:

Health Team Coordinator:
Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, 2013-present

Massage Therapist:
The Cavailers Drum & Bugle Corps Medical Group, 2009-2012

Administrative Coordinator:
(DCI) Drum Corps International’s Marching Arts Safety & Health Project, 2019-present

Health Team Coordinator:
Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps, 2019-2022

Director of Health & Wellness:
Santa Clara Vanguard and Vanguard Cadets, 2022

Health & Wellness Consultant:
Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps, 2022-present

Jim is an EMT-B, American Heart Association BLS instructor, PALS, and ACLS certified. He currently works at Good Shepard Hospital in Barrington, Illinois, as an ER Critical Care Technician and resides in McHenry, Illinois.

Dr. Janet Konecne, DPT
Advisory Committee

DPT, Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2002
MS, Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2001
BS, Physical Therapy, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 1982

Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS), American Board of Physical Therapy Specialities, American Physical Therapy Association
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), National Strength and Conditioning Association
Certified Personal Trainer

Tonya Grenda
CNA

TONYA GRENDA grew up in a small town in Utah, where she learned to love all of Utah’s distinctive seasons. An active sports enthusiast, she enjoys any outdoor activity, but especially running marathons, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing.

Tonya is a Certified Nursing Assistant with over ten years experience as a Home Health and Hospice nurse. She holds numerous certifications in child development and has worked many years with the Snowbasin Ski Resort Childcare Program. She has also held volunteer positions with the Parent Teacher Association, various school reading programs, the Girl Scouts of America, and the Roy High Marching Band Booster Program.

Patrice Jones
CPC, CWDS

PATRICE JONES is a highly requested Health & Wellness Coach with a background in Music Therapy, Music Performance, Psychology, and Health & Wellness Coaching. Currently based in Austin, TX, Patrice worked as a Certified Health & Wellness Coach/Team Coordinator for Santa Clara Vanguard, overseeing the health and wellness of the SCV Cadets as they trained and won the Open Class division in Indianapolis in 2022. Patrice is trained in and experienced at evaluating physical, emotional, and mental complaints, designing plans of treatment, administering certain chiropractic treatments, and recommending other alternative and complementary methods of holistic treatment appropriate to the environment such as meditation and grounding for health and wellbeing. Additionally, she is certified in nutrition and exercise physiology.

Outside of this role, Patrice also runs Patrice Jones Coaching, where she has personally helped dozens of clients find their version of success and wellbeing. As a Certified Professional Coach trained at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), Patrice is certified in Wellbeing, Transitions, and Performance coaching – everything a drum corps member needs as they embark on this very demanding, different, and rewarding way of life. In her non-drum-corps life, Patrice works with people with chronic illnesses (both physical and mental) who wish to continue or improve various areas in the presence of conditions that impact every aspect of their life.

Patrice is also a professionally-trained Collaborative Pianist who has accompanied hundreds of instrumentalists, vocalists, and groups over the past 30 years. She is a certified performance coach who works with musicians of all ages and abilities and helps them with diction, intonation, expression, ensemble playing, performance, and fear. Drum corps is near and dear to her heart as a former front ensemble player and percussionist.

Prior to these roles, Patrice was a member of the U.S. Army Band where she played piano, oboe, English horn, percussion, and euphonium/tuba. She also did gymnastics, dance, and two years of winter guard in high school. As such, she is uniquely qualified to assess and treat injuries and complaints of all drum corps members. Her BM in Music Therapy, BS in Psychology, and coaching certifications prepared her to address mental health in the current social environment. She will work with a member’s home mental health provider to ensure members continue using the customized plans laid out by those professionals that know the member best. Patrice is looking forward to working with the members and staff of the Pacific Crest Drum Corps!

Dr. Margit Lister
MD

DR. MARGIT LISTER is an OB/GYN physician at Intermountain Heath Layton Parkway Women’s Health. She is currently the Medical Director of Digital Technology Solutions for the service lines of Surgical Operations and Women’s Health.

Dr. Lister’s education started at the University of Tampa, where she received an academic and athletic basketball scholarship. She finished her Exercise Physiology degree at The Ohio State University, then pursued medical school at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She finished her educational career at Riverside Methodist Hospital, completing her OB/Gyn residency in 2003.

Dr. Lister started practicing at Scioto OB/Gyn and stayed there for three years before beginning her career at Intermountain Health. She moved her family and two young boys to Ogden, Utah and started the group Wasatch OB/Gyn of Intermountain Health. After building the practice from two providers to 10, she left the group in 2021 to pursue her career in clinical informatics. In 2018, she became the Medical Director of Digital Technology Solutions supporting the service lines of Women’s Health and Surgical Services.

Her oldest son Brady’s first DCI experience was with Pacific Crest in 2022. Her youngest son Maddox joined the corps in 2023, marching alongside his brother. Both are in the battery: Maddox plays snare and Brody plays bass drum. She served on the Health Team in 2021 and looks forward to being a part of the team again.

Eryn Coleman
ATC

Eryn “Kiki” Coleman has been involved in DCI since 2022. She completed her Master’s in Athletic Training from the University of La Verne, where she has spent time treating athletes and non-athletes from high school, university, and public safety settings. She also spent 4 years with the Warren High School Marching Band and Color Guard as a color guard and winter guard performer from 2009-2013.

Although her career in guard came to an end, her love for the activity never stopped. Her background in tap, dance, theater, cheer, basketball, and color guard has prepared her for working in the performing arts, and gave her the desire to pursue a degree in athletic training in order to implement quality healthcare that performers in these settings deserve.

Kiki is an AT, HawkGrips IASTM Practitioner. She currently works at Casa Colina Hospital in Pomona, CA, as a Technician and resides in the Inland Empire.

Dr. Jacob J. Levy
PhD, Psychologist

JAKE LEVY, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and certified fitness trainer, with a special interest in performance psychology and wellness promotion. He is a former marching member of the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, and a co-founder of the Marching Music Health and Wellness Project. Dr. Levy has worked with nearly a dozen drum corps since 2005, and is thrilled to be a member of the Pacific Crest Health Team.

Dr. Levy earned his doctorate in counseling psychology from Indiana University in 2002. He interned at the University of Maryland Counseling Center. Dr. Levy has specialized expertise in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of attention-deficit disorders, anxiety, depression, and other health conditions, as well as performance enhancement interventions for athletes, performing artists, and business people. Of particular note is his expertise in neurotherapy (i.e., EEG neurofeedback), an intervention designed to help individuals learn to self-regulate their mood and attention and concentration processes thru “brain-training.” In addition, Dr. Levy specializes in psychological assessment and testing, including clinical diagnostic testing, comprehensive ADHD testing, pre-surgical psychological evaluations, fitness-for-duty evaluations, forensic evaluations (including child custody), and career assessments (i.e., pre-employment personality testing, career exploration, managerial and leadership evaluations). He is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Spencer Adkins
Meteorologist

SPENCER ADKINS is an award winning chief meteorologist for WOWK-TV in Huntington-Charleston, WV. Certified by both AMS and NWA, Spencer has been forecasting weather since 1997 for the Tri-State area. He has forecasted and led coverage of many major storms from tornado outbreaks to Superstorm Sandy to major floods to derechos. Public safety and being weather aware is Spencer’s key mission in meteorology. He’s been on TV in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio for over 30 years at various stations in various positions.

As a member of the marching arts community, Spencer marched 4 years at Algonac High School in Michigan in the 1980s, as both a French horn player and percussionist. First exposed to DCI in the early 1980s, Spencer has been an avid fan, logging thousands of miles to attend shows across many states and Canada ever since. Spencer and his wife Susan have four boys, all of whom have marched in the award winning Cabell-Midland Marching Knights from Ona, WV. Now in addition to attending DCI shows, Spencer attends Bands of America Shows.

Combining work along with being a drum corps nut and a band dad, Spencer has been tweeting forecasts for DCI fans during summers since 2014. The tweets led him to team up with Dr. Kevin Kloesel from Oklahoma University, who has been working with Pacific Crest and DCI on marching safety and health. Spencer plans to continue his show forecast tweets while working under Dr. Kloesel to provide weather safety information to the corps community. He also covers the marching scene on WOWK-TV, featuring local members of drum corps during the summer as well as promoting the annual local Drums Across The Tri State show in Charleston, along with announcing at many local high school band shows during the fall competition season. You can find him @spencerweather on Twitter often using the hashtag: #marchingmeteorology

Dr. Clark Cantrell
MD FAAP

DR. F. CLARK CANTRELL, JR. was born in Solano County, California, and then moved to middle Tennessee at age two. He grew up in Putnam and White County, Tennessee, and graduated with honors from White County High School in Sparta, Tennessee, where he was Captain of the Band and lead snare drummer.

Dr. Cantrell went on to attend the University of Tennessee, and graduated with honors with a degree in premedical biology. He then attended the Autonomous University of Guadalajara Medical School in Guadalajara, Mexico, and graduated with honors. Residency in Pediatrics was done at William Beaumont Hospital, affiliate of the University of Michigan, leading to Board Certification in pediatrics.

After training, Dr Cantrell and his wife, Amy, moved to Cobb County, Georgia, where he has practiced pediatrics for more than 25 years. He has spent the last 10 years affiliated with DCI and marching music medicine, while maintaining a full-time practice.

The Cantrells have four children and one foster child, all grown, but involved in music growing up. The youngest marched DCI with both the Colts and Phantom Regiment, as well as WGI with Atlanta Quest.

Dr. Kevin Kloesel
PhD, Meteorologist

University Meteorologist, OU Office of Emergency Preparedness

Associate Professor, College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences

B.S., Engineering Science, University of Texas at Austin, 1984

M.S. and Ph.D., 1990, Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University

KEVIN KLOESEL is responsible for providing weather forecast and weather safety information to the OU Office of Emergency Preparedness before, during, and after weather threats of all types on the OU Campus. He also provides support to the OU Executive Policy Group in severe and winter weather situations in order to facilitate campus protection and closure decisions. He develops and leads high-impact weather safety training on the OU campus for its over 30,000 students, faculty and staff, and for the over 40,000 pre-collegiate students that call OU home during summer sports and academic camps.

Kevin is a tenured Associate Professor specializing in decision-making in weather-impacted situations. He led the teams that won the Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University and the Ford Foundation for their work with the emergency management community in Oklahoma, as well as awards from the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. Kevin was awarded the American Meteorological Society’s 2015 Charles E Anderson Award for “over two decades of dedication to engaging minority and underrepresented groups through community outreach and academic leadership.”

Kevin works directly with thousands of decision makers and emergency management professionals in finding appropriate applications for weather data in local education, decision-making, and weather safety planning. He has provided numerous training workshops to improve weather forecasting and decision making in Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and Nigeria, as well as weather preparedness training to the NFL, NCAA, NASCAR, Drum Corps International, and numerous sports venues, concert halls and amusement parks throughout the country.

A frequent guest on local, state and national radio and television programs, he has appeared on the National Academies of Science Distinctive Voices, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, the Tavis Smiley Show, WeatherBrains, ABC Nightly News, The Discovery Channel, The Weather Channel, WxGeeks, the BBC, and dozens of local radio and TV shows from coast to coast. He has also provided keynotes at the National Tornado Summit and the SXSW Eco Conference. He has served on two National Academies of Sciences panels reviewing weather forecast performance for the nation, and works closely with the Norman Chamber of Commerce and Norman Economic Development Coalition to provide support for the growing private weather and climate enterprise in Norman. He also served as a content designer for Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm children’s museum exhibit.

Dr. Tom Freeman
Podiatry Consultant

Undergraduate:
Illinois Benedictine College; Biology/Biochemistry 1981. Lisle, IL.
Scholl College; BA Conferred 1985. Chicago, IL.

Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine; Doctor of Podiatric Medicine 1985. Chicago, IL.

Trinity Regional Hospital; Podiatric Surgical Residency, Fort Dodge, IA.

Board Qualified, American Board of Podiatric Surgery

Helen Turner
RN, Consultant

HELEN TURNER served as the Lead RN for The Cavaliers from 1981 to the present, and is a co-founding member of The Cavaliers Medical Group, which started in 1996. In 2010, Helen met Jim Olea during his time with The Cavaliers, and since then has been a mentor and friend to Jim. She is excited to be a part of the Pacific Crest Health Team as a consultant!

Dr. Craig Bales
MD, Consultant

DR. CRAIG BALES is a co-founding member of The Cavaliers Medical Group, which started in 1996. Dr. Bales served as lead physician with The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps from 1996-2014, and was nominated as an honorary Cavalier in 2009. He currently works with the University of Houston marching band as their lead physician.

In 2010, Dr. Bales met Jim Olea while working with The Cavaliers, and has been a mentor and friend to Jim ever since. Dr. Bales is excited to be a part of the Pacific Crest Health Team as a consultant.

Mike Turner
EMT, Paramedic, CPR Consultant

MIKE TURNER was a member of The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in the early eighties. He has served many years as a police officer and firefighter with the Village of Rosemont, Illinois. Mike currently operates his own business, CPR Stat, which teaches CPR to corporate and local businesses.

In 2014 Mike was able to help Pacific Crest Health Team acquire their very first AED. Mike helped Jim Olea, the corps’ Health Team Coordinator, to get his BLS instructor certification. Mike is excited to be a part of the Pacific Crest Health Team as CPR Consultant.

Brian Almiron
Health Team

BRIAN ALMIRON has been involved in music programs since the fourth grade, starting off on alto saxophone before moving to the drumline in high school. Brian has performed with Antelope Valley College (bari sax and tenor line), California State University at Northridge Percussion Ensemble (front ensemble), West Coast Sound Drum and Bugle Corps (bass line), West Coast Classical’s Wind Ensemble and Saxophone Choir, Antelope Valley College Symphonic Band (tenor and baritone saxophone) and Cirque Bizerk (bass line).

Brian has been the Assistant Director of Bands and Percussion Instructor at Highland HS (Palmdale, CA) and has been part of percussion, and visual staffs in Southern California and Arizona since 1998, including Breakthrough Independent Percussion Ensemble (Peoria, AZ) and The Royal Cavaliers Performing Arts (Burbank, CA), placing in the top 3 in band and percussion in SCSBOA, PPAACC, WGAZ, WCWA and WCPA.

Brian has been working in the medical field for over 16 years, starting off as an Emergency Medical Technician in 2000 and working in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and the South Bay, before becoming a Medical Assistant in 2004. Brian is currently working at UCLA’s Urgent Care in Valencia, CA.

Brian lives in Palmdale, CA with his wife Adel, son Nicholas, and daughter Adalynn, who is part of the color guard at El Camino Real Charter HS in Woodland Hills, CA.

Rick Rizzo
Health Team

RICK RIZZO is a CNA with 6 years of experience working as a critical care tech in Emergency Medical Services. He is BLS certified and current works in the ER at Good Shepherd Hospital. In his spare time, he has coached youth softball and was the pack master of his son’s Cub Scout pack. Rick lives in Round Lake, IL.

Jill Podsiad
Health Team

JILL PODSIAD comes to Pacific Crest from Santa Barbara, Ca. She has been a full time Surgical Technologist for the last 10 years, as well as a medical and physical therapy assistant. She loves working with young people, and is passionate about proper nutrition and teaching young athletes how to prepare their bodies nutritionally so they can perform optimally on the field and in everyday life.

Jill’s middle son had a heart transplant in 2013, which means she also comes to us with some unusual real life experience and knowledge that she has had to learn and apply to her own daily life, in order to create better habits for a healthier lifestyle – for herself but mostly as a model to her sons. These changes have made her passionate about teaching young adults the importance of learning and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits while young, in hopes of always being a peak performer.

Russ Tanakaya
Media Team Manager

Russ is Pacific Crest’s media coordinator and lead photographer, now in his tenth year serving the corps. He was elected to the PCYAO Board of Directors in 2018.

In addition to his photography for Pacific Crest, Russ is a featured artist for the internet magazine Drum Corps World, and for DCI. He is a self-professed “Huge Pacific Crest Fan”. The Tanakaya family annually offers scholarships to assist members with their tuition in memory of Russ’ daughter, Lindsay.

Mr. Tanakaya is a 43 year veteran of the hotel business, having retired from his General Management position with Embassy Suites in 2021. He continues his passion of portrait and event photography at Russell M. Tanakaya Photography, where he primarily works for donations to his beloved organization – Pacific Crest!

Nikki Collister
Writer

NIKKI COLLISTER is a technical writer and freelance journalist based in San Francisco, CA. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Ethnomusicology and was a member of the Pacific Crest front ensemble in 2007 and 2008. Nikki has volunteered with Pacific Crest since 2016, serving as Communications Manager from 2016-2018 before switching over to focus on the corps newsletter and website.

Jeff Griffith
Social Media Coordinator

JEFF GRIFFITH has been involved with the marching music activity in various media roles since 2017, and has been managing Pacific Crest’s social media efforts since November 2020. A graduate of Arizona State University’s sports journalism program in 2019, Jeff spent two summers with Drum Corps International as a communications intern, and has held the role of content marketing specialist with DCI since May 2019. Jeff also works as a marketing content writer with Drum Corps Associates, and has done an array of freelance media work with FloMarching.

Felise Alaichamy
Photography Intern

Photography Intern, Touring

FELISE ALAICHAMY is a photographer based in San Dimas, CA. This is her son’s first year with Pacific Crest as a trumpet player and her first year volunteering with the Pacific Crest media team. She has photographed the uniform reveal, corps portraits, practices, and is looking forward to photographing the upcoming shows in SoCal and on tour.

Felise has her own photography business focusing on portraits, headshots and event photography. She also works for an international non-profit as a photographer. Felise holds a certificate in photography, M.A. in Linguistics, and B.S. in Computer Science. She’s from Atlanta, has lived in India and Indonesia, and is now happy to call SoCal home. Music is a big part of her life too as she plays the piano, recently started learning mallet instruments, and is a member of the Symphonic Winds of the Pacific.

Chris Campos
Photographer, Licensed Drone Pilot

Coming soon

Kenneth Carter
Video Intern

Coming soon

Howard Hsu
Photographer, Licensed Drone Pilot

Coming soon

Rachel Kendrick
Photographer

Coming soon

Kathy Magana
Photographer

Kathy Magaña is an amateur photographer based in Fontana, CA. 2023 is her daughter’s first year with the Pacific Crest battery, as center snare and section leader. Kathy has assisted with the PC portrait photoshoot and photographed various rehearsals and SoCal competitions. In Kathy’s words, “I have enjoyed being part of the Pacific Crest family this season and am so grateful to be surrounded by a very talented media team!”

Loan Mead
Photographer

Coming soon

Haruka Meguro
Photography Intern

Coming soon

Richard Melendez
Video Intern

RICHARD MELENDEZ is a videographer and editor who is excited to apply his skills at Pacific Crest, where he marched in 2022. In Richard’s words, “It is always fascinating to capture the progression of this one-of-a-kind activity and have the opportunity to witness its development over time. Being a part of Pacific Crest means the world to me, it’s an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals who share a common passion for music and performance.”

Andy Shomph
Video Producer

Coming soon