Dean Johnson
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Beginner Banjo, Mandolin, Dobro
(See full bio with music selection below)

Chris Romeo
Vocals
(See full bio with video below)

Click a song to hear Dean play!
Rumores de la Caleta
Canarios(Canary Jig)
Amazing Grace

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Chris Romeo

Vocals

Chris Romeo, tenor, has been studying voice for over 4 years; but has been making music ever since the sixth grade. He has received his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Studies, and is currently working towards his Masters Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of South Florida. He has been performing in lead roles such as Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen, Mr. Angel in Mozart’s Die Schauspieldirektor, and Eddie in Richard O’Brian’s The Rocky Horror Show. Other Performances include La Rondine, HAIR The Musical, Freedom Found the Opera; and multiple performances with the USF Chamber singers, Master Choral of Tampa Bay, and The Florida Orchestra Pop Singers. He has received multiple awards for his outstanding singing such as a nomination for the KCACTF Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship for his role as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Show, and the Jameson Kelly Memorial Scholarship for outstanding tenor. His voice teachers include: Dr. Brad Diamond (current), and Jerry Reynolds. Chris currently teaches at St. Leo University.

Debra Sailer

Drum set and percussion

Hernan Rodriguez

Cello and Piano

Hernan Alvarez was born in Cali, Colombia in 1993. He began his musical studies in the "Desepaz Children's Orchestra and Choir" project in Cali, and continued his studies at the Antonio María Valencia Conservatory, studying the preparatory cycle. He participated as an active student in the Cartagena International Music Festival 2012. He was part of the Valle del Cauca Youth Orchestra, with whom he was invited in 2012 to the La Via Dei Concerti Festival, which took place in 12 European cities. Between 2013 and 2017 he carried out his undergraduate studies at the Conservatory of the National University of Colombia under the tutorship of teacher Cecilia Palma. He also participated with the National University orchestra in 2014 on a tour of the region of Catalonia, Spain. He was a member of the Bogotá Chamber Orchestra, with whom he represented Colombia at the Aruba Symphony Festival in 2017. In 2018 he joined the Young Philharmonic of Colombia with whom he performed numerous concerts and was part of the project "La Joven en Acción", a project of social character, in which musical knowledge was shared with students from remote regions of Colombia. He participates in the “Audition Preparation Workshop” course, carried out by the Cello Bello platform. In 2020 and 2021 he participated in the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Caracas. In 2021 and 2022 he was part of the Cello Lab festival, organized by the New World School of Arts. In 2022 he certificated in musical arrangements at the Martin Lutero University of Nicaragua. He currently takes classes with German Marcano (Venezuela). He has received master classes with musicians such as: Tobia Revolti (Italy), Nicola Fiorino (Italy), Peter Schmidt (Germany), Jesus Castro Balbi (Peru), Horacio Contreras (Venezuela), Tulio Rondon (Venezuela), Jorge Espinoza (Chile), Peter Opie (USA), Marcio Carneiro (Brazil), Michal Shein (USA), Brinton Smith (USA), among others.

Nicole Lerch

Violin, Viola and beginning Piano

Nicole Lerch was born in Wooster, Ohio, and began studying the piano at age 7 and the violin at age 10, later concentrating exclusively on the violin. After graduating as a valedictorian from Worthington High School in Columbus, she attended the University of Cincinnati, Conservatory of Music for one year where she studied with Sigmund Effron, and then finished her Bachelor’s degree in Music at Goshen College in Indiana. There she took violin lessons from Lon Sherer and studied chamber music with Mary Oyer. Soon after, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and concluded her Master’s degree in Violin Performance at Boston University, studying with Roger Shermont, Raphael Hillyer, Mary Lou Speaker Churchill, and Victor Yampolsky. At the conclusion of her Master’s degree, Nicole had the opportunity to travel to Brazil and become a member of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and later of the Municipal Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Rio de Janeiro. She worked as an orchestra member, chamber music player, and violin/viola teacher in Rio de Janeiro until 1990. She and her husband moved back to Wooster for four years and worked as managers at her parent’s business, Lerch’s Donuts, and her daughter, Carmen was born during those years.

In 1994, Nicole and her husband decided to relocate to Brazil to continue with their music professions. She rejoined the Brazilian Symphony, and a few years later auditioned for the Professor of Violin position at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Remaining at the University for 24 years, she taught Bachelor’s students, and undergrads in the Teacher Education program, as well as teenagers at the Intermediate and children at the Basic levels. Along with continuing to give private lessons and playing in orchestra concerts, she was co-founder of the Mattos-Lerch Violin/Viola Duo which performed extensively for 10 years. She is fluent in Portuguese as a result of living and working in Brazil for over 30 years. In September of 2022, Nicole relocated to Clearwater, Florida to be near her family. Since moving to Clearwater, she has joined the Pinellas Park Civic Orchestra as concertmaster, and the Suncoast Symphony Orchestra. She also taught violin and viola at the Sam Ash Music Store in Clearwater in 2023.

Guy McMillen

Guitar

Guy is an aspiring musician who is native to central Florida. He attended Harrison School for the Arts in Lakeland Florida where he studied under classical guitarist Dr. Robert Phillips. He graduated 2023 and that summer competed in Ohio against 50 guitarists nationwide and won a $12,000 scholarship to Southeastern University in Lakeland Florida. He is currently working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a minor in Biblical studies.