Celebrating Gifts of Music

Thomas Doelger

Thomas Doelger is thrilled to return home to West Hartford for "Gifts of Music," alongside teachers and mentors from his childhood years. Thomas currently stars in The Book of Mormon on Broadway, where he is in the Ensemble and understudies the role of Elder Price. Thomas has performed all over the world, at the American Repertory Theater, the Kennedy Center, Tuacahn Center for the Arts, and the Shanghai Culture Square in Shanghai, China. Thomas has also written, produced, and starred in his own one-person shows in New York, entitled "The Dame in Distress," and "The Lady Must be Masc."

WHPS Music Faculty
Andrew Mayo, Department Supervisor of Performing Arts
Emmett Drake, Orchestra, Solisti
Phil Giampietro, Director of Bands, Hall
Michael Wyatt, Director of Bands, Conard
Elizabeth Keller Orchestra/Suzuki Teacher, Charter Oak International Academy

John Mastroianni

John Mastroianni earned a B.S. in Music Education and a B.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of Bridgeport, and an M.A. in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University. He has studied saxophone with Phil Woods, Dick Oatts, Joe Lovano, and Gary Klein, and composition with Jim McNeely, Bill Finegan, Tom Boras, Neil Slater, and Mike Carubia.

John has performed with artists such as Mel Lewis, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Smokey Robinson, Charli Persip and Supersound, Harvie S, Jim McNeely, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra Jr., Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and many others. He is one of the primary composers for the New England Jazz Ensemble, and he also performs with the Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury Symphonies, and at the Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Bushnell, and Shubert theaters. John also played in the Broadway (NYC) production of “Three Penny Opera.”

Currently, he is an Associate Professor in Residence of Jazz Studies and Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Studies at the University of Connecticut, and the founder and music director of theSummer Jazz Workshop. In December 2002, John was named by SBO Magazine as one of 50 directors in the United States that “make a difference,” and in March 2004, John was chosen by CMEA as the Secondary School Teacher of the Year. John is a three-time Music Educator GRAMMY Award nominee and winner of two Golden Globe Music Awards with the New England Jazz Ensemble and with Alex Nakhimovsky and June Bisantz. John is the 2014 Connecticut Teacher of the Year and the 2021 UConn Undergraduate Faculty Mentor of the Year, and a Silverstein Artist.

Gifts of Music Band

Andrew Phan is a pianist from West Hartford, Connecticut. He studies jazz piano under Mary DiPaola and previously studied classical piano under Tamila Azadaliyeva. His musical style draws inspiration from artists such as Wynton Kelly, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, and many others. He is currently a member of the University of Connecticut Jazz Ensemble, where he continues to deepen his knowledge of jazz and develop his skills as a performer.

Andrew Cecarelli is a bassist from the New Haven area. He is a recent graduate from the University of Connecticut and holds a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies. At UConn, Andrew studied double bass with Professor Steve Bulmer as well as jazz composition, arranging, and theory with Professors Earl MacDonald and John Mastroianni. Andrew has performed with notable groups such as the UConn Jazz Ensemble led by John Mastroianni, and the. University of Connecticut Symphony Orchestra led by Dr. Paul R. McShee, and has shared the stage with acts such as Veronica Swift, Grace Kelly, and Benny Benack III.

Jim Royle, the man behind the studio, the engine, the motivator, the leader. Jim has owned the Jim Royle Drum Studio for over 40 years. He is a beloved mentor to hundreds if not thousands of kids and adults. In addition, Jim leads the Silver Steel Band, Roylety
Steel Pan Band, Jim Royle's Caribbean Jazz Connection. He often plays with the Chris Coogan & John Mobilio Jazz groups, which have three recordings, and with many other groups.