Hailing from Michigan's capitol city, AJ's passion for progress has motivated him to grow and evolve with those around him. Having studied with some of the most well known players, drive towards teaching and musicianship is all but second nature.
Upon completion of his Bachelor of Music Education at Eastern Michigan University, he began studies towards a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance at the University of Arizona. AJ has had many great performance opportunities including at historic Carnegie Hall, NASA conferences, and MTNA competitions as well as being a featured soloist with the Waverly High School Symphonic Band and the Waterford Mott High School Symphony Band. In 2015 and 2016, he was selected as Honorable Mention for the William Stewart Undergraduate Competition and was selected to perform as a featured soloist with the EMU Symphonic Band in the latter year. AJ served two years as principal saxophone in the EMU Wind Symphony and one year as soprano chair of the Stone Tower Quartet which was selected to perform at the 2017 International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the US Navy Band.
Always striving to advocate the instrument, AJ has collaborated with different composers such as Michael Markowski, Geoffrey Stanton, Frank C.S. Nawrot, Brian McCloskey, and Josh Trentadue, and has premiered their work at North American Saxophone Alliance’s Regional Conferences.
His primary teachers have included Woody Chenoweth, Connor Mikula, Kimberly Goddard Loeffort, Todd Gaffke, and Edward Goodman.
AJ currently lives in St. Clair Shores, MI with his wife where they both teach music.