Jersey Surf Announces 30th Anniversary Alumni Parade Corps
August 23, 2018Jersey Surf Welcomes Brass Education Consultant Mike Longdo
November 14, 2018Presenting Our 2019 Educational Program Directors
Chris Devona, Director of Brass Education
CHRIS DEVONA is excited to return for Jersey Surf’s 2019 season in a new role leading the brass program. Chris began his drum corps experience playing trumpet at the 7th Regiment and continued on mellophone at The Cadets. He is currently the band director at the Hopkins School in New Haven, CT, and is now entering his fourth season on staff with the Jersey Surf.
Outside of the world of marching music, Chris is an active professional musician in the greater New England area, working as a freelance music arranger, ensemble clinician, private teacher, and high brass performer. At the University of Hartford, he studied music theory, French horn, and mathematics.
Mike Durborow, Director of Visual Program
Returning to the the Jersey Surf educational team is the Surf’s Visual Program Manager MIKE DURBOROW. With a drum corps career spanning more than 50 remarkable years, Mike has been involved at every level of drum corps and marching music activities, including a ten-year performing career with the famed Hawthorne Muchachos, taking the podium his final season as drum major.
In addition to writing for- and instructing a number of high school marching bands across several decades, Mike worked on the visual staffof the Garfield Cadets, and was a performer, visual tech, caption head and staff coordinator during his 22 years of service to the perennial DCA powerhouse Hawthorne Caballeros. Mike continued to stoke his passion for teaching during a five year stint as caption head of DCA’s Fusion Core. Most recently, he served as visual caption head of the Long Island Sunrisers. He was elected to the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2016.
Michael Lombo, Director of the Jersey Surf Color Guard
MICHAEL LOMBO is a founding member of the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps and is thrilled to be returning this year as Director, Color Guard Program. His passion for the activity took him to the World Champion Cadets of Bergen County where he finished his outdoor career years later. Michael was also a member of Field of View Winter Guard and St. Ann’s World Guard where he then taught until 2015, helping bring the team back to Independent A class Champions. These days, Michael is the color guard director for 3 successful programs in Massachusetts, one named state champion 3 of the last four years with high color accolades 5 of his 8 year tenure. Michael is also a drill design for many programs throughout the North East. He looks forward to another AMAZING summer with the JSCG2019!
Brad Schoener, Director of Percussion
BRAD SCHOENER currently serves as Director of Middle School Bands at William Penn Charter School as well as snare technician and battery staff coordinator for United Percussion. As a former member and educator of the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps, Brad is eager to take on his new role of director of percussion for the 2019 season.
Brad began his marching arts career in 2005 with the Bayard Rustin High School Marching Band. By senior year, Brad was one of five snare drummers selected nationally to perform as a part of the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. Brad began his DCI journey ten years ago with the Jersey Surf in 2008 and 2009. He continued to perform at the collegiate level from 2009 through 2011, two of these as section leader and center snare, with the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band of West Chester University.
Not only did Brad gain a depth of experience as a member of the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps but also with Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2010, followed by the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps in 2011 and 2012, as well as United Percussion in 2012. After aging-out of DCI, Brad served in the role of snare technician for the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps in 2013 and returned for a short stint on the 2018 DCI tour.
Over the past nine years Brad has served as a percussion educator and composer with many successful high school programs including Marple Newtown High School, Downingtown West High School, Spring-Ford High School, Bayonne High School, Bayard Rustin High School, Coatesville Area Senior High School, Danvers High School, and East Pennsboro High School. Brad resides in Roxborough, PA and enjoys running, golfing, meditating, hiking, and competitive auto-racing.
Tom Wilson, Director of the Front Percussion Ensemble
THOMAS WILSON is a freelance percussionist, arranger, composer, and educator based in Western Massachusetts. Currently, he is the Marching Band Director and Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Anna Maria College and the front ensemble director of the Jersey Surf. Thomas graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance in May 2018 and he also received a Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance and Composition in 2011.
As an educator, Thomas has been working with many high schools and colleges throughout Massachusetts and beyond for over a decade. He has years of experience working as a band director and music teacher in the public school system. He worked extensively with Shepherd Hill Regional High School where he served as Winter Percussion Director, Show Choir Pit Band Director, Concert Percussion Director, and the Assistant Director of the Marching Band for five years, leading all of these groups to championships in their respective fields during his tenure. He has also served as a clinician for censembles at WPI, UMass Amherst, Boston University, and New Haven University. Very in demand as a front ensemble specialist, Thomas consistently works with many local college and high school marching bands, several of which he also writes music for.
His marching career began with the Spartans in 2006 and championship year 2007; in 2008 he studied with virtuoso marimbist Leigh Howard Stevens; and in 2009-10 he marched with the Holy Name Cadets. In addition, he marched for four years in the UMass Drumline under the tutelage of Thom Hannum and George Parks. He has served as section leader of every ensemble he’s participated in.
Thomas is also an active performer with the Amherst College Symphony Orchestra, the Valley Winds, the Windham Symphony Orchestra, the Smith Symphony Orchestra, the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra, the Claflin Hill Summer Winds, and many more local orchestras and wind ensembles. His Master’s Recital in April 2018, entitled “Water”, included challenging contemporary chamber music with musicians from all around the country, and it also featured a commission for percussion, flute and clarinet. During his undergraduate years, Thomas received the Vic Firth Scholarship award from UMass Amherst and the Most Valuable Rookie and Distinguished Service Awards from the Holy Name Cadets.
