Percussion

Percussionist Barry Centanni attended Montclair State University before earning a bachelor’s degree in performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School. He is the principal percussionist with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and performs with many other orchestras including the New York Pops, the New York Philharmonic, the Westfield Symphony, the Colonial Symphony, the NJ State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. His television credits include Live from Madison Square Garden, Live from Lincoln Center, Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman. As a freelance percussionist, he has performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sting, Whitney Houston, James Taylor, Elton John and with the bands Yes, the Moody Blues and Metallica. He has taught at SUNY Purchase, the Mannes College of Music, Columbia Teachers College and the Montclair Kimberley Academy.

Eric Borghi has played in orchestras for over 100 musical theater productions. Most notably, he was Drummer/Percussionist of the 2015 Broadway revival of On The Twentieth Century and was Percussionist for the entire 2010-2013 North American Tour of Les Miserables, playing over 1100 performances in cities across the United States and Canada. Other Broadway work includes the 2009 revival of West Side Story and 2006 revival of A Chorus Line. Mr. Borghi has performed at Edison (NJ) Plays-In-The-Park and with the Broadway Big Band (Middlesex, NJ). As a freelance orchestral performer, Mr. Borghi appears regularly with the Princeton Symphony, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Symphony in C, Riverside Symphonia, National Chorale, and many other organizations in and around New York City. Mr. Borghi has a Bachelor of Music degree from The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College), where he studied with Barry Centanni and William Trigg, and a Master of Music degree from Mannes College of Music, where he studied with Norman Freeman, James Preiss, Glen Velez, and Michael Werner. Mr. Borghi was born in New York City and grew up in Leonia, New Jersey, where he still resides.

Visiting percussion specialist Steve Johns studied with master drummers Alan Dawson and Bob Gullotti and attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied classical percussion with Fred Buda and Vic Firth. He moved to New York in 1982. He has worked, recorded and collaborated with Donald Byrd, Nat Adderley, Eddie Henderson, the Count Basie Orchestra under Frank Foster, the Vanguard Orchestra, Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabakin Big Band, Benny Carter, Phil Woods, Illinois Jacquet, Michael Brecker, Stanley Turentine, Slide Hampton, Kenny Burrell and many others. Steve was the drummer for NPR’s Billy Taylor’s Jazz at The Kennedy Center in which he recorded 75 shows with guest including Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, Joe Lavano, Arturo Sandoval, Ray Barreto, Milt Jackson, Jon Faddis, Randy Brecker, Grover Washington, Gary Burton and Harry Sweet Edison. Mr. Johns’s recordings include Ceremony on Malaco with saxophonist Peter Brainin (Cats Paw Records) and No Saints/No Sinners (Playscape Records). As well as having a busy performance schedule, Mr. Johns has taught at the Vermont Jazz Center, the Jazz In July Program at the University of Massachusetts, the Thelonius Monk Institute in Aspen Colorado and Williams College in Massachusetts.

Marimbist and percussionist Minhye Ju, a native of Korea, began marimba studies at the age of five. She was awarded first prize from the Chung-Book Music Association and made her debut with the Chung-Book KBS Orchestra. The recipient of numerous awards including the Grand Prize from Dong Yang Times Competition and the First Prize and Critics Prize from Seoul Music Journal. Ms. Ju has also made solo appearances with the Chung-Ju Municipal Music Association, the New Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nanse Gum, the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony and Cheong Ju Philharmonic. In 2003, Ms. Ju was awarded Third Prize by the International Marimba Competition in Paris, France. She has performed with Decapo Opera, The National Chorale, and with many other orchestras including Garden State Philharmonic, Muscia Viva, and New Amsterdam. She holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mannes College of Music, the New School of Music. She studied with Barry Centanni, She-e Wu, Norman Freeman and Jeff Milliasky.

New York City percussionist Matt Smallcomb has a diverse performing career ranging from orchestral and chamber music to theatre and jazz. Matt is a member of Alarm Will Sound, section percussionist with Symphony in C and was principal percussionist of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra for four seasons. Matt has performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, New World Symphony, as well as tours throughout Asia, and Europe. Matt has performed with Ty Braxton’s group “Hive”, performing at such venues as the Sydney Opera House, Big Ears Festival, and the Barbican Festival in London. Matt has recorded on Nonesuch and Sony record labels. Currently, Matt is a performing artist endorser for Zildjian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Pearl/Adams and Evans Drumheads. Matt Smallcomb studied at the Mannes College of Music where he was a student of Barry Centanni, Mike Werner and James Priess, and Wilkes University where he was a student of Bob Nowak.