Acknowledgments
I am humbled by the many people in my life who have shown their love and belief in me, and support for and interest in my music. Dear friends and family members from near and far have been there – watching, listening, critiquing, sharing and generally just cheering me on. I feel the love and I couldn’t be more grateful!! A few mentors in particular have taught me what I needed to know to grow and move forward with my musical pursuits; without their support and expertise as well, I would not have achieved what I have musically so far – I will always be grateful!
Tammy Madeja and Laura Dimatteo are both brilliant musicians and teachers. They were my music, voice and theatrical teachers/coaches throughout my life at Potsdam Central School. Whether it was training for NYSMA solos, coaching theatrical characters for school plays, or dynamically producing incredible choruses for all students which helped train my voice and stage presence, they’ve supported, enhanced and enriched my musical growth during important growth stages in my musical life – I’m forever grateful!
Jon Dufore is my one and only guitar teacher. Through his guidance, he has fostered my funky fun jazz and grooves, along with studying modes, arpeggios, extended chord harmonies, jazz, and chord manipulations. He’s a tremendous guitarist and a great teacher!
Dr. Abbey Siegfried was my musical guidance at Phillips Academy Andover, where I was blessed to have attended in my junior and senior years of highschool. Dr. Siegfried was my music mentor throughout my time in the school’s most select chorus – The Fidelio Society – and while in the choral groups as well. Dr. Siegfried could be two things first and foremost in equal amounts: amazingly kind, and amazingly excellent with her musicianship. I learned music from many areas while studying under her guidance, and her proficiency as a teacher only added to the value of the music I was learning. I will always be grateful for this experience.
Samantha Stinson, a professor at St. Lawrence University at the time, was the director of the highly acclaimed musical Les Miserables when I joined the cast that performed this iconic show at Pickens Hall in Heuvelton, NY. This musical is full of incredible songs and spirit and she helped me sing with power and clarity, lessons I’ve brought with me since that great experience!
Tim Savage is a talented musician and teacher who I met as a student at St. Lawrence University. We spent the majority of our time together in “Improv Lab,” a specialized opportunity for students to jam and create music together, and yet his impression was & is long lasting. Tim is many things and has achieved many feats in music; being his student felt as though I was immersed in the energy of music. Music came in all forms during that time, and hearing it all was nothing short of uplifting in regards to pushing me forward towards this musical path. I will always be grateful for this experience, and have immense respect for his musicianship and kindness.
Dr. Christopher Watts, my music advisor at St. Lawrence, is equally remarkable. He has taught me that music is even more fluid than I thought, and that there is no one size fits all for sound. He is a very interesting person and I am blessed to have studied under his guidance as well. To say he is creative is not enough, more like dedicated to creation in that music and sounds come in all shapes and sizes, and he knows most of them. I am very thankful for his teachings and for having the opportunity to learn from him.
Rob Zolner is a guitarist extraordinaire and an original member of Double Axel, a band which started when he was in college over 50 years ago! They continue to perform, and at the same time, Rob has been a producer of music and educator for The Crane School of Music. We began working together to produce my original songs in his home studio in recent years – every session is a new adventure in creativity and musical growth. His lessons in sound recording have been phenomenal; I’m sincerely grateful for all he has taught me as I continue to write music and lyrics and we work on producing new recordings.
Alex Vangellow is an original member of Double Axel as well, and he, like Rob, is an amazing musician. Alex has leant his expertise to me as well and has supported my musical growth throughout the years. I’m so fortunate to have the collective advice and guidance of these two iconic rock stars!
And to my dear parents, Jacquie and Steve Kuno, and to my siblings and extended family members who have always been there, words simply cannot express my whole-hearted gratitude, bar one: love.