Staff and Volunteers
Dr. Marcus Pimpleton
Program Coordinator / Director
Josh Chan
Assistant Program Coordinator
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John Aguilar
Assistant Director
Patrick Gordon
Staff Coordinator
Jonathan Saturay
Staff Coordinator
Christopher Sears
Administrative Assistant
Marcus Evans
Instructional Assistant
Hayden Gizinski
Flutes/Piccolos
Olivia Sayrs
Clarinets
Gabrielle Smith-Rockne
Clarinets
Maleah Buchanan
Saxophones
Ava Lim
Saxophones
Benjamin Orlin
Trumpets
Elise Toney
Trombones
Chase Gaither
Basses
Austin Montgomery
Percussion Coordinator
Houston Fleischmann
Asst. Percussion Coordinator
Ben Hamon
Percussion Tech - Cymbals
Marcus Condotta
Percussion Tech - Bass Drums
Alex Mok
Percussion Tech - Snare Drums
Finn Malone
Percussion Tech - Tenor Drums
Janelle Barlow
Color Guard
Casey Kono
Color Guard
Zach Baisch
Drum Majors
Alvin Calhoun II
Drum Majors
Ksusha Gotham
Media Team
Max Arevalos
Media Team
Staff & Volunteer Bio's
Dr. Marcus Pimpleton
Program Coordinator/Director
Dr. Marcus J. Pimpleton joined the program as an 8th grade student in 1992 and has been continuously involved with the program every summer since. This summer will be his thirtieth year with the band and his twentieth as Director and Program Coordinator. Outside of All-City he serves as the director of the Around the Sound Band, a community band based out of Seattle and as an Assistant Director with the University of Washington Athletic Bands.
From 2002 to 2015, Dr. Pimpleton served as the music department chair at Denny International Middle School during which time he was instrumental in the co-location of Denny International Middle School with Chief Sealth International High School, founding Denny Sealth Performing Arts, the booster organization supporting the two schools’ music programs. When he was teaching full time, Dr. Pimpleton taught concert band, marching band, jazz band, and steel drum ensembles at the middle and high school levels, coordinated over 300 student performances in local, regional, and national events and hosted numerous camps during winter, midwinter, and summer breaks for underserved elementary, middle, and high school students. His commitment to equity and musical excellence was recognized by KCTS which awarded him a Washington State Golden Apple Award and by the Alliance for Education which awarded him the Phillip B. Swain Excellence in teaching award.
Presently, Dr. Pimpleton’s day job is serving as the Executive Director of Secondary Schools for the Marysville School District where he supervises and oversees the professional development of middle and high school principals and assistant principals. He has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D) from the University of Washington, a Doctorate in Ministry (D.Min) from the Hardy Academy of Theology, and a Master of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (M.Ed.) also from the University of Washington.
Josh Chan
Assistant Program Coordinator
Josh Chan is entering his 18th year with the All-City Band. He was a student in the band from 2005-2008, Percussion Staff from 2009-2014, Administrative Coordinator from 2015-2017 and has been the Assistant Program Coordinator since 2018. Josh is a 2012 graduate of the University of Washington and holds a BA in Science, Technology and Society. He currently works as an events production manager for the University of Washington. In his role as an events production manager, he is responsible for providing professional planning, management and administration for University-wide events aimed at the University’s key audiences - alumni, donors, community leaders, faculty, staff, students, and the general public.
Prior to his current role, he was the Director of Operations for the Husky Athletic Bands and Spirit Program from 2013-2022. As the Director of Operations for the Husky Athletic Bands and Spirit Squads, he ran the daily operations of the Band, Cheer and both university mascots, Harry the Husky and Dubs. His duties included taking care of all travel arrangements, booking appearances, managing the website and social media accounts, recruiting and many other duties that keep the Husky Marching Band, Cheer and Mascot Program running smoothly. While at the UW as an undergraduate, he was a 5-year member of the Husky Marching Band. During his time in the band, Josh played in the Husky Drumline for four years, serving as drumline section leader for a year, and finished out his undergraduate tenure in the band as a staff assistant on the student staff team.
In the past, Josh has also worked as a Theatre Manager for Seattle Public Schools, a Theatre Technician for the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center and the Percussion Instructor at Chief Sealth International High School. He has also been an instructor, arranger and/or drill-writer at Denny International Middle School, Chief Sealth International, Interlake, Roosevelt and West Seattle high schools. He has also worked with the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) in Show Control, Seattle Storm (WNBA) in IT and Washington Music Educators Association as the Conference Equipment Manager for All-State and NAfME-NW. Josh is excited to be returning as the Assistant Program Coordinator this summer and is looking forward to what’s sure to be another great summer of the Seattle All-City Marching Band.
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John Aguilar
Assistant Director
John Aguilar is entering his 14th season with the Seattle All-City Band and his 5th year as the Assistant Director. Prior to his current position, Aguilar was a student in the band from 2008-2012 and was the recipient of the ACB Pride Award, and served as Drum Major Staff from 2013-2016. Aguilar is a graduate of the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Washington State K-12 Music Teacher certificate. While at the UW, Aguilar was a member of the world-renowned Husky Marching Band, serving as Drum Major for 3 years and is now the Drum Major Coach. Aguilar was also a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, an honorary collegiate band fraternity with a mission of providing service to collegiate bands.
Outside of All-City Band, Aguilar is the Director of Bands at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in Seattle, WA. Aguilar is the founding Band Director as the school opened in the Fall of 2017. Under his leadership of 6 bands, the Concert Bands, Jazz Bands, and the Marching Band have earned local and national recognition and have garnered numerous Superior, Excellent, First Place and Sweepstakes ratings in local and out-of-state music festivals and competitions. The 140-piece “Marching Ravens” is one of the largest marching bands in the Seattle Public Schools and has been invited to perform at numerous community and corporate events, most notably for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the Alliance For Education. Regarding membership participation, Aguilar has been able to build a racially diverse program that amounts for approximately a third of the school’s population, while organizing hundreds of performance opportunities for his students to showcase their learning.
Outside of Eagle Staff, Aguilar has also served as the Assistant Director of the Seattle Junior All-City Band, Drum Major Instructor for the Washington Marching Band Camps, Drum Major Clinician for the Old Dominion University Monarch Marching Band (Norfolk, VA), marching band music arranger for local and national school bands, and is a member of a Seattle Schools District pilot cohort (The Roots Framework) focused on incorporating and implementing successful gap-closing and anti-racist practices into the classroom.
Patrick Gordon
Staff Coordinator
Patrick Gordon is entering his 12th season with the All-City Band. During his 5 years as a student in the ensemble, Patrick was a member of the Bass Section, a Band Council Officer, Drum Major, and Pride Award winner. After his time in the band as a student, he has served the band as a staff member for 5 years. 1 year as the Alto Saxophone Section Staff, 3 years as Drum Major Staff, 1 year as an Assistant Director, and now he is back for his 2nd year as Assistant Staff Coordinator for this season.
After graduating from West Seattle High School in 2013, Patrick went on to study music education at the University of Oregon. During his time in college, Patrick was a member of the Oregon Marching Band. Known as the “Soundtrack of the Ducks”, Patrick served as the Alto Saxophone Section Leader, Drum Major, and Band Council President. Patrick is a member of the Mu Pi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity.
During the school year, Patrick is the Director of Bands at Quincy High School and Quincy Middle School. During his free time, Patrick performs in the pit orchestra for Quincy Valley Allied Arts. Patrick is looking forward to another great summer with the Seattle All-City Marching Band!
Jonathan Saturay
Staff Coordinator
Jonathan Saturay is proud to serve as Staff Coordinator for the Seattle All-City Marching Band. After joining in 2003, this summer marks his 16th year with the ensemble, eleventh year on staff, and ninth year as Staff Coordinator. An active participant during his five years in the band, Jonathan performed in the saxophone section, was a band council officer, and served as drum major.
After graduating from Renton High School, Jonathan went on to study music education at Arizona State University. As a member of the Sun Devil Marching Band, also known as ‘The Pride of the Southwest’, he served as section leader and drum major. Jonathan was also a member of the Beta Omicron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity.
Year-round, Jonathan is the Operations Director for The Beecher’s Foundation in New York City where he leads a team of instructors who facilitate free nutrition education and cooking skills workshops for elementary school students. He has been honored for his work as the recipient of the “Emerging Leader Award” at the Light a Fire Awards dinner sponsored by Seattle Metropolitan and The Seattle Foundation.
During his free time, Jonathan has performed with various community ensembles such as the Seattle Jazz Night School ‘Big Band Express’, the Rainbow City Concert Band, and the Lesbian Gay Big Apple Corp’s “Spectrum Saxophone Quartet”. When he’s not working or performing, he spends his time listening to Seattle hip hop, searching for the city’s tastiest bowl of phở, and community organizing with the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines.
Christopher Sears
Administrative Assistant
Chris is going into his ninth year with All-City. Having spent five years as a student in the Clarinet Section, two years as Clarinet Staff, and one year on Media, he’ll now be returning as an Administrative Assistant. Chris graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a BA in History. While attending UW, he spent 5 years in the Husky Marching Band Clarinet Section, serving one year as section leader, as well as playing in several different UW Campus ensembles. Chris was also a member of the Alpha Chapter of Eta Mu Beta, a service fraternity dedicated to preserving and enriching college spirit through community work.
Currently, Chris works as a Credit Retrieval Liason for the Marysville school district, helping students to get finish the courses they need to be on track to graduate. Outside of work, he dedicates time to continuing to pursue, discuss, and explore history through media digitization, archival work, and history-based video production. In his free time, Chris continues to spend time playing in group ensembles and exploring all the obscure nooks and crannies that Seattle has to offer. Chris is excited to see the All-City Band getting back to doing parades!
Marcus Evans
Instructional Assistant
Marcus is entering his 7th year with All City, with 2021 being his Second on staff. He played in the marching band at Chief Sealth International High School all four years, graduating in 2018. He now attends the University of Washington and is pursuing a degree in Music Education and is a member of the Husky Marching Band in the Trumpet section. After a year of no marching band at all, Marcus is very excited to return to All City.
Hayden Gizinski
Flutes/Piccolos
Hayden will be returning for her fourth year with All-City and her second year on staff! While in the band, Hayden was in the Flute/Piccolo Section and Drum Major Squad. At the University of Washington, Hayden was a member of the Husky Marching band, serving as 2020-2021 Piccolo Co-Section Leader, and most notably, one of the 2021-2022 Drum Majors. She was also a Brother of the Gamma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Service Fraternity. She has graduated from the UW this year with a major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and minors in Music and Microbiology. Since graduating, Hayden has been working in a pharmacology lab performing research on the mitochondria. She is excited to work with the flutes and piccolos this year!
Yize Smith-Rockne
Clarinets
This will be Yize’s (pronounced “Eat-za”) fifth year with the All-City Band clarinet section and her first year on staff. Beginning at the age of five when she picked up a violin, her music experience includes a year with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, seven years in school concert bands, and four years in her high school’s pep and marching band, serving as section leader for one of them. Currently, Yize is studying at Willamette University with the aid of a bassoon scholarship to major in biochemistry, public health, and/or mathematics. She plays the bassoon in the University Wind Ensemble and hopes to participate in the University Chamber Orchestra, club pep band, and other small wind groups once the end of COVID-19 makes it safe to do so. Yize is very excited to return to ACB as a staff member this summer!
Olivia Sayrs
Clarinets
Olivia Sayrs is a second-year student at the University of Washington, pursuing a degree in biology. She has been a member of ACB since the summer of 2018, and she is very excited to have her first season as clarinet staff! She was a member of Roosevelt High School’s marching band, jazz band, wind ensemble, and symphony orchestra, and also served as the clarinet section leader for her last year before graduating in 2020. Now she is an active member of Husky Marching Band, and is also a member of the UW Campus Band. She is looking forward to working with the clarinets this summer!
Maleah Buchanan
Saxophones
Maleah Buchanan is super excited to be one of the saxophone staff members this summer! This is her second year on staff. She was in All-City Band for 4 years in high school, and was in her high school‘s (Kennedy Catholic HS) band and jazz band for all 4 years. She is super passionate about music! She is a Music Education Major with a concentration in Instrumental and Vocal at the illustrious HBCU, Langston University in Oklahoma. She can’t wait to meet all her students and work hard and have a great summer!
Ava Lim
Saxophones
Ava Lim is a second-year student at the University of Washington and this will be her second year as an All-City Band staff member. She is studying Human-Centered Design and Engineering with a minor in music and is an active musician on campus including Husky Marching Band. With ACB being such a huge part of how she came to love band, Ava is beyond excited to give back and work alongside students this summer. Go Dawgs!
Benjamin Orlin
Trumpets
Ben is entering his 8th year with ACB, and his 3rd year on staff. He attended Chief Sealth International High School before graduating in 2017 and continuing his studies at Berklee College of Music. Finishing up his degree in May 2021, he's extremely excited to get back to teaching what he's learned during his undergraduate studies. In Ben's spare time, he pursues his career as an artist, producer, trumpeter, and audio engineer. Spending his time at Berklee studying Music Production and Engineering, Ben sets his goals high, wanting to make a sizable impact on the music industry. Having released a few singles, as well as his debut album, Ben hopes to build a following that will allow him to make the changes he wants to see in the music world.
Elise Toney
Trombones
Elise is honored to serve in her fourth season with the All City Band, and her first as the staff member for the trombone section. When she joined the band in 2017, it was her first marching experience and it set her on a positive path that helped to define her high school life. In her third season with the band Elise had the fun and rewarding experience of serving as the Trombone Staff for the Junior All-City Band. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, she moved on to the University of Kansas, where she is currently a sophomore pursuing a degree in Music Therapy. At Kansas she is an active member of the Marching Jayhawks, the Trombone Choir, the Symphonic Band and the Trombone Studio, studying with Dr. Michael Davidson. Elise is excited for the opportunity to give back to the home town band that has given her so much.
Chase Gaither
Basses
Chase Gaither is returning to All-City Band for his first year on staff, and 7th year overall with the program. He will be a junior at the University of Washington this fall, studying Electrical Engineering.
Austin Montgomery
Percussion Coordinator
This is Austin's eighth year as part of the All-City Band family and his fourth year on staff. In his four years as a student, he served as the Drumline Section Leader and was a recipient of the Most Dedicated Award in 2016.
Austin is a Thomas Jefferson High School (Federal Way) Alum. As a student, he was a founding member and Leader of the Drumline, as well as Drum Major for the Band. He performed as a percussionist in ten different ensembles across the music department. As of now, he’s in his fifth year as the Drumline Instructor at TJHS - the only comprehensive performing and competing program out of FWPS, with six consecutive top three placements.
Outside of TJHS, Austin can also be found consulting and teaching Marching Percussion with various Washington schools, as well as teaching privately. He has also spent his time staffing pre-K-12th grade youth development & sports programs. In college, he has focused his studies on Early Childhood Education & Behaviors as well as Music Education. Throughout his adult musical career, he has been a performer in ensembles like: Snowflake Lane, Rosebud Theatre Conservatory, Federal Way Chorale, TJHS Musical Theatre, Emerald City Boom Indoor Percussion, The UW Husky Marching Band and Basketball Band, UW Drumline, and more. Austin plans to work as a Band Director/Percussion Instructor after college and is excited for another summer serving the band and helping students grow as musicians and individuals!
Houston Fleischmann
Assistant Percussion Coordinator
Musician, arranger, educator, and experienced percussionist, Houston Fleischmann has a forever growing passion for performing music and educating the future generation of young musicians. Houston preferably studies and performs classical and modern-day percussion studies through constant practice of various genres of percussion music – ranging from classical percussion, marching/rudimental percussion, world percussion, and electronic percussion.
Houston has participated in performing with the Washington All-State Marching Band, Snowflake Lane Holiday Celebration Show, has been lead drummer for the Glacier Peak High School pit orchestra, as well as held leadership roles in the high school band program. After his high school career, Houston went on to earn a music performance degree from Washington State University, studying under Professor David Jarvis, Brent Edwards, Dr. Troy Benefield, and Dr. Danh Pham, as well as performing all throughout his college years with the Washington State University Cougar Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and has even performed with the Washington-Idaho Symphony Orchestra.
Houston began teaching percussion at the age of eighteen and has assisted teaching percussion with the Glacier Peak High School band program for two years, as well as with the Seattle All-City Marching Band through the Seattle public school district for two years. Houston has also acted as a clinician and substitute educator for various other high schools in the greater Seattle area throughout his years living in Washington.
Houston has always had a great love and appreciation for music. He understands how music can be a great way for people to truly express who they really are, as he does the same. His main goal in life is to influence as many people as he can to pick up an instrument and start/continue playing for the pure love and enjoyment of music.
Ben Hamon
Percussion Tech - Cymbals
Ben Hamon is returning to All-City Band for his first year on staff, and 5th year overall with the program. He will be a sophomore at the University of Washington this fall, studying History. Ben is an active member of the Husky Marching Band.
Marcus Condotta
Percussion Tech - Bass Drums
Bio coming soon!
Alex Mok
Percussion Tech - Snares
Alex Mok is returning for his second year on staff with All-City. He has been part of many ensembles in the greater Seattle area, including Shorecrest High School, Emerald City Boom indoor, Seismic Sound indoor, and a brief period with the Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps before the global pandemic cancelled the 2020 DCI season. Alex has also spent 4 years with the UW Husky Marching Band, where he served as center snare for two years. He is excited to return to All-City this year as the snare drum tech and can’t wait to work with the students!
Finn Malone
Percussion Tech - Tenors
This is Finn's fifth year in All-City and first on staff. While in the band, he was a part of the Cymbal and Tenor sections and is excited to work with the Tenors this summer. Finn is about to start his senior year at Washington State University majoring in Psychology and is an active member of the Cougar Marching Band.
Janelle Barlow
Color Guard
Janelle is excited to begin her 5th year on Staff for All-City Band this summer, her 10th year with the band overall. She was formerly involved with the Chief Sealth International High School’s color guard until she graduated in 2016. Currently, she studies at the University of Washington, where she hopes to fulfill her dreams of becoming a music instructor. She also works as a violin coach for her former high school’s mariachi program.
Casey Kono
Color Guard
Casey is entering her sixth summer with All-City, and third year on staff. As a student in the band from 2014-2016, she was a member of the flag squad and served as lieutenant for two years. She was also an active member of Chief Sealth International High School’s flag squad for four years before graduating in 2017. After high school, she continued her education at Western Washington University where she was a member of the dance team. In 2021, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with minors in Psychology and Dance.
Outside of All-City, Casey is an educator at Seattle Girls’ School and spent the last year as an Instructional Assistant. This Fall, she will begin a new position as an Associate Teacher and Student Advisor. She strongly believes in interweaving social justice and anti-bias into curriculum and teaching, as well as the importance of a learning community being a trusted and supportive environment. Casey is greatly looking forward to this summer and can’t wait to see students experience a full season with ACB!
Zach Baisch
Drum Majors
Zach Biasch is entering his 10th summer with the All-City Band. He was a student in the Saxophone section of the band from 2009 - 2012, Mellophone 2012-2014, Drum Major Staff in 2016-2018, and is excited to return as the Administrative Assistant this summer. Zach graduated from the University of Washington Bothell in the Spring of 2019 with a BA in Law, Economics, and Public Policy. During his studies, he also played French Horn in the UW Symphonic Band, was a member of the Mellophone section in the Husky Band and served as Drum Major for the 2016 - 2018 seasons. Zach was also an active member of Kappa Kappa Psi.
Outside of his academic studies and duties with the Husky Band, Zach was a Marching Band Instructor at Interlake High School in Bellevue, WA, and North Creek High School in Bothell, WA, where he helped design and establish the style and fundamentals of the marching band program during the school's first year in operation.
After graduating from the UW, Zach worked as a Personal Injury Legal Assistant at a small downtown law firm before he transitioned to his current role as an Estate Planning Paralegal at Brighton Jones, a wealth management firm, where he coordinates the administrative operations for a small team of attorneys. During his free time, you will find him on a local golf course, hiking/snowboarding around the Cascades, or enjoying time around one of the many Seattle Parks.
Alvin Calhoun II
Drum Majors
Alvin has been a part of the All-City Band family for four years going on his fifth. During his four years in the band he has been fortunate enough to be able to be a part of the Clarinet section for two years, Alto Saxophone section for a year, Trombone section for a year and Drum Major squad for three. During the fall, Alvin was a member of the HMB Tenor Saxophone section and Drum Major squad. He is enrolled at Highline College, and hopes to receive his AA degree in order to transfer to the University of Washington to major in Music Education. Alvin is extremely thrilled to be able to return to his roots of music and become Drum Major staff for his first year on staff.
Ksusha Gotham
Media Staff
Ksusha is returning to All-City Band for her first year on staff, and 5th year overall with the program. She will be a freshman at the Western Washington University this fall, studying Computer Science. Ksusha is an active member of the Husky Marching Band.
Max Arevelos
Media Staff
Max is entering his sixth year in All City and his first on staff! He played clarinet for all five of his years in All City and will be media staff this year. Since graduating from Raisbeck Aviation High School in 2020 he has been working towards a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Washington Bothell campus