Anthony S.

Anthony ’s journey into music began in early childhood, though he cannot pinpoint a single moment of introduction. One of the most formative periods came at ages seven and eight, when he would listen to Smart Symphonies CDs to fall asleep. These recordings combined neo-classical music, featuring composers such as Bach and Mozart, with elements of jazz, including works like Oscar Peterson’s C-Jam Blues. These early listening experiences instilled in him a deep appreciation for structure, harmony, and rhythm, while also exposing him to the improvisational creativity of jazz. At age ten, Anthony joined his school band, initially playing the trumpet. He was soon redirected to Baritone TC and eventually found his musical home with the tuba. Though he experimented with trombone and electric bass in middle school, he gravitated toward instruments with “male” voices, drawn to their depth and foundational resonance. His seventh-grade year was transformative: he became a member of the Notre Dame High School Pep Band and Concert Band, participated in the all-East Tennessee clinics open to regional schools, and joined the school choir. By eighth grade, his dedication earned him transportation to high school for Concert Band rehearsals, and he also joined the adult choir at his church, singing SATB. Anthony began private music lessons in his sophomore year of high school, marking the start of his compositional pursuits. By junior year, under the mentorship of former teacher Jay Stanville, he achieved second chair in the state of Tennessee on tuba, earning a spot in the All-State ensemble—a significant milestone in his musical development. Even as he explored other instruments like trombone and bass trombone in jazz ensembles, he maintained a strong connection to bass foundations, seeing them as both literal and metaphorical underpinnings—whether in music, architecture, or society itself. By his senior year, Anthony was teaching himself orchestral composition, building on the theory and techniques he had absorbed in music classes. This foundation allowed him to write and arrange with confidence, understanding the interplay of instruments within an ensemble and the broader structural roles they inhabit. Over the next thirteen years, Anthony has grown into a multifaceted musician: a singer-songwriter, composer, and devoted student of music across genres. His influences are wide-ranging, encompassing the classical elegance of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Igor Stravinsky; the improvisational brilliance of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter; the virtuosity of jazz trombonists Bill Watrous and Frank Rosolino; the harmonic sophistication of Oscar Peterson and Jacob Collier; the compositional mastery of John Williams; and the innovative productions of Quincy Jones. Anthony is equally passionate about alternative rock and pop, and he retains a lifelong admiration for artists such as Michael Jackson. For Anthony, music is not merely a pastime but a language—an early and enduring one alongside English. Through learning instruments, reading and writing music, composing, and understanding orchestral structure, he has developed fluency in a complex expressive language, which continues to inform his creative and philosophical worldview today.