Band Director - In 2010 Chris became the new band director at his alma mater, Norwalk High School in Norwalk, CT. His duties include supervising the marching band, 3 concert bands, 2 jazz ensembles, 2 winter guard, indoor percussion ensemble and the pit orchestra. The Norwalk indoor percussion ensemble was a WGI World Championships A class finalist in 2010 and an Open class finalist every year since 2011. In 2014 the ensemble won the WGI Silver Medal, in 2015 they won the WGI Bronze Medal and in 2016 the ensemble won the WGI Silver Medal.  The award winning marching band has won the National Class Musical Arts Conference Championship in 2013, 2014 and 2016 as well as the USBands National Championship in 2014 & 2017. Chris has judged numerous marching bands, state and regional music festivals for CMEA, USSBA and MAC.  He is a member of the WGI Percussion Advisory Board and is an executive board member and percussion coordinator for the Musical Arts Conference (MAC). Chris is an...

Assistant Director - Sara Golding-Bianco has been a music educator in Norwalk for 15 years, at both the elementary and middle school levels. She has taught at Naramake, Jefferson, and Marvin Elementary Schools before joining the West Rocks community in 2010.  Ms. Golding is a graduate of Norwalk High School (2000) as well as Western Connecticut State University (2004 and 2007).  She received both a B.S. in Music Education and an M.S. in Music Education from WCSU.      Ms. Golding is the Assistant Director of the Norwalk High School Marching Band.  She has worked with the band since 2010, first as a Brass instructor and now as Assistant Band Director. She also directed the Norwalk HS Jazz Ensemble from 2011-2016.  At West Rocks, Ms. Golding is the Chorus and Drama Club director.  As the Drama Club advisor, she has produced and directed Seussical Jr., Beauty and the Beast Jr., Aladdin Jr, G2K Cinderella, The Little Mermaid Jr., Elf The Musical Jr, Hairspray Jr., and Annie Jr..    Each...

Visual Caption Head- Doug’s drum corps odyssey started in the 1960’s with the Norwalk Hot Shots. It was there, under Art Hlywa and later Pepe Notaro that he learned to play the soprano. In due time, he advanced his playing skill to the level of lead soprano. In 1970 Doug came to the Hurricanes and found a place in the lead section, eventually becoming a featured soloist for the Corps through 1999. He is most notably known for the solo he played for so many years, from the Magnificent Seven...the Hurricanes signature song. He served as a marching instructor for the Corps from 1999 through 2011, and in 2012 closed out his distinguished career serving as Director of the Hurricanes. Doug was so highly regarded for the respect he commanded, as well as for his ability, that he was tagged with the moniker “The General.” Doug has also been a visual instructor for the highly recognized Norwalk High School Marching Band since 1988. In addition, Doug was named “Hurricane of the Year” in 1974...

Visual Staff - Holman Carvajal is a graduate of Brien McMahon High School. He started marching in 2002 and has been part of the activity ever since. In 2005 Holman decided to march with the Connecticut Hurricanes where he marched 11 seasons straight. In 2006 he got his first teaching job at Brien McMahon. Holman taught there for 6 years and then went on to teach at Stamford High School. He truly loves this activity and pursues excellence every given day at every rehearsal. Holman is looking forward to another phenomenal season!

Brass Caption Head - Stephen Lyons is excited to be returning for a second season on Norwalk’s instructional staff.  When he isn't teaching in the world of pageantry, Steve works at Chase Collegiate School in Waterbury, where he teaches 4th-12th grade band, AP Music Theory, and Sound Design for Theater. He also performs frequently as a trumpet player with the Chelsea Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, Time and Changes Jazz Orchestra, and New London based funk/soul group Bank Street Groove.

Brass Staff - Alec Parker recently graduated Norwalk High School and will be attending Western Connecticut State University, majoring in music education. While at Norwalk High, he participated in marching band winning 2 national championships, as brass captain and trumpet section leader. Alec was also lead trumpet in wind symphony, pit orchestra, and jazz orchestra. During his senior year he participated in the Western Regional Concert Band. Alec forward to another great marching season!

Brass and Visual Staff -  Thomas first became involved in the marching arts at the Bunnell High School Marching Band, where he was a member for five years. He has since been a member of the Drum Corps International groups 7th Regiment, Boston Crusaders, and The Cadets.  He earned his Bachelors in Music Education at The Hartt School, where he studied euphonium with James Edward Jackson III. Thomas looks forward to another rewarding season with the Norwalk High School Marching Band. 
 

Brass Staff - Glen is a 2015 graduate of the University of Connecticut, where he studied music education and viola. He was a trombone section leader in the UCONN Marching Band, and played baritone with the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. Glen currently teaches instrumental music at Naramake Elementary School and Columbus Magnet School in Norwalk. He is also an instructor with Kids Empowered by Your Support (KEYS), a non-profit organization that provides free music lessons to underserved students in Bridgeport. Glen is very excited to join the Norwalk High School Marching Band brass staff for a second season.

Percussion Caption Head - Brandon is a Norwalk native and marched 4 years with the Norwalk High Marching Band, before graduating in 2011. Along with the marching band he participated in Winter Percussion, Concert band, Jazz band, and the spring musical.   Before teaching at NHS, Brandon spent 2 years with the Bethel High School Marching Band. During his time there as percussion caption he helped capture 2 back to back best percussion trophies.  Since 2013 Brandon has acted as the snare tech and battery coordinator for NHS. Being able to teach at his Alma Mater is very special for him.

Percussion Staff - Konrad graduated from Westhill High School in Stamford.  It was there where he learned mallet percussion in the indoor percussion program. He played marimba with the Connecticut Hurricanes in 2011 and 2012 then with Fusion Core in 2013-2015. Konrad previously taught at Westhill HS and New Milford HS before coming to Norwalk.

Percussion Staff - AJ Frierson, from Norwalk, CT, began his marching career in 2007 with the Norwalk High School Marching Bears. After graduating in 2011, AJ marched with the Connecticut Hurricanes from 2011-2014. From 2015-2016 AJ marched with Cadets2 and he was Drum Captain when the corps won the 2016 DCA World Championship.  AJ taught at Brien McMahon High School from 2014-2015, Stamford High School from 2016-2018 and Norwalk High from 2016-Present. AJ is excited to continue his experience with the Norwalk High School Marching Band and looking forward to giving his all to help develop the Norwalk percussion ensemble.

Percussion Staff - Michael recently graduated from Norwalk High School playing percussion in the Front Ensemble for all 4 years. He helped the band win 2 National Championships along with 2 WGI percussion medals. He has been a part of various ensembles throughout his high school career playing a wide range of percussion instruments. Michael will be attending Norwalk Community College this fall and looks to transfer to Western Connecticut State University to study music education. He is looking forward to helping out this year and can’t wait to see how the band progresses. 

Woodwind Caption Head - Guillermo Rojas, also known as Will, is a Connecticut certified music educator, saxophonist, and songwriter from Norwalk, CT. Guillermo graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education at Western Connecticut State University in 2015. During his time in WCSU, Guillermo studied classical and jazz soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone with various professional and accomplished musicians including: Dave Noland, Javier Oviedo, Dr. Dan Goble, and Jimmy Greene. In 2018, Guillermo was selected to pilot the elementary band program in Norwalk at both the Silvermine Dual-Language Magnet and Cranbury Elementary School. He is also an alumnus of Norwalk High School, Class of 2011. He played tenor/baritone saxophone in the marching, concert, and jazz bands at NHS, along with being woodwind captain in the 2010 season.

Woodwind Staff - Christopher Denke was a member of the Norwalk high school marching band from 2010-2014. He was a clarinet player for 3 years and trumpet section leader his senior year. He attended Western Connecticut State University from 2014-2018 as a music education major with a concentration in classical clarinet. There he performed in numerous ensembles on Bb, A and bass clarinet including the wind ensemble, pit orchestra, symphonic band, new music ensemble and orchestra. He taught one year of Brookfield high school marching band before coming back to his alma mater Norwalk high school.

Percussion Staff - Danny Porrelli is a Norwalk High School alum who was a member of the marching band and the winter percussion for all four years. After graduating, he taught at Westhill High School as the battery coordinator for 3 years before returning to his roots at NHS in 2016. He has many years of experience in DCA as a performer and educator since 2011 with the Connecticut Hurricanes and Cadets2. Danny is grateful to be back and a part of the growth of the Norwalk Band program.

Color Guard Caption Head - Esteban is currently a manager, hair stylist and makeup artist in a salon in Greenwich CT. He is M.A.C Cosmetics certified and Zumba Fitness certified.  Color Guard Experience includes: Port Chester High School Marching Band and Winterguard 2004-2008, Saturday Matinee Winterguard 2007, Sunrisers Drum And Bugle Corps 2006-2008, Fusion Core Drum and Bugle Corps, Alter Ego Winterguard 2009 and 2010, Hurricanes 2009 and Blessed Sacrament Winterguard 2013.

Woodwind and Visual Staff -  Soleil graduated from Norwalk High School and has been working with the group ever since. In her time at the high school she won two national championships as a marcher and a drum major, as well as a silver medal at the WGI indoor percussion finals in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to this, she participated in jazz and pit orchestra all four years. Currently Soleil is studying flute privately with Kerry Walker at Western Connecticut State University and is majoring in Music Education. After auditioning, she was placed in several large ensembles as well as smaller combos at the college. Soleil is very proud to have been given the opportunity to come back and work with such a well known and established band organization, and is looking forward to the new season. 

Color Guard Staff -    Courtney Tapper is a Norwalk alum who started with the A guard in 2009, and continued with the Open Guard and Fall guard from 2011-2015. After high school she marched Emanon World Guard in 2016 and Alter Ego World Guard from 2017-2018. As for outdoor, she marched Fusion Drum Corps from 2014-2016 and then marched with the Bluecoats Drum Corps from 2017-2018. Currently, she is a recent graduate of Fordham University, where she studied journalism and French.     

Eric Zeiser is a professional Musician and educator from Connecticut. He has had a very active performance career across many genres including Jazz, Funk, Soul, Classical, and everything in between. As a graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a degree in Jazz Performance and a Master of Music Education from the University of Bridgeport he likes to incorporate his touring and recording experience into his teaching to create an exciting and relevant classroom. Eric has studied with Laurie Frink, Dave Scott, and Rich Clymer. Eric currently teaches instrumental and general music in his hometown of Meriden, Connecticut. Outside of music and education Eric loves to hike, read, play ping-pong, and spend time with his wife and family.

Ryan Morris  Color Guard Staff- 
Ryan is a Neurodevelopmental Specialist working in-home with children with special needs. He’s currently in school with goals of a Master’s in Occupational Therapy. Georgia grown, he has worked with high schools and Independent groups across the Southeast. Color Guard experience includes: Roswell HS 04-08, Marching Southerners ‘08-‘10, Northgate IO , Aureus IO, Paramount IW ‘11-‘15, Alter Ego IW ‘16

Colorguard Instructor -  Dylan Mazzarella is a former member of the Enrico Fermi marching band, graduating in 2015. He marched colorguard for 7th Regiment from 2015 to 2017, and Blue Knights in 2018. He was a member of the University of New Haven marching band and winter guard from 2016 to 2019. He is currently a colorguard instructor for the Bushwackers Drum and Bulge Corps. This will be his first season with Norwalk High School.

Gavin graduated from Norwalk High School in 2017 as a member/ co-captain of the drum line. During his time there, he earned 3 WGI medals with Norwalk Percussion (‘14, ‘15, ‘16) and had the honor of traveling to MetLife stadium to compete in the US Bands circuit. He has worked as a co-writer and drum line tech for New Milford High School (2018-2019) and is currently marching his second year at the CT Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Core as the section leader for the Quads of the Valley. He is very excited to have the privilege to go back to his alma mater where his marching career all started and to give the students the best marching experience possible.