AVSM 2023 (L-R) Eric Vincent, Peter Broggi, Trish Fanara, Adria Smith, Chris Noce.
Christopher Noce – Saxophone/Woodwinds
Christopher Noce teaches bands in Concord, Massachusetts. Under his direction, the Concord Bands have received numerous accolades from the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors’ Association (MICCA), Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE) and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA). His ensembles have commissioned new works for concert band and performed on some of the region's most iconic stages. The culture and community built within and around the Concord Bands is a major point of focus and pride for the program.
Christopher holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) and a Master’s of Music in Music Education from Boston University. He is an active member of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) and the MMEA, where he has served in several leadership-level positions including Eastern District Chairperson and All-State Concert Coordinator. Christopher maintains an active musical life both on and off the podium as a clinician, conductor, performer and teacher.
Christopher lives in Worcester, Massachusetts with his wife Emma, daughter Margot and son Reuben, where they enjoy all that the metropolis’s second-city status has to offer a young family.
Craig Robbins - Trombone/brass
An active music educator and freelance musician based in Central Massachusetts. Craig Robbins serves as the Band Director at Sarah W. Gibbons Middle School in the Westborough (MA) Public Schools. Prior to joining the Westborough team, he served as Director of Bands and Unified Arts Department Leader for the Harvard (MA) Public Schools from 2016-2023. Throughout his tenure as an educator and conductor, Mr. Robbins has led vocal and instrumental ensembles spanning grades 5-12 and beyond in both the concert and jazz settings.
After attending on a full-tuition scholarship, Mr. Robbins graduated magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music in December 2015, earning a Bachelor’s of Music degree in Music Education where he was awarded the “Most Promising Future Music Educator” award. He then pursued and earned a Master’s in Music Education degree from Gordon College in 2020. Mr. Robbins has also completed advanced graduate study in educational leadership. Outside of music, Craig loves spending time with his fiancée, Malorie, enjoys a good meal and a cup of coffee, and lives life with an optimistic mindset.
Eric Vincent – Guitar & Bass
Eric Vincent, Guitar - Since he began playing guitar at age 12, Eric has been an active performer, playing in a variety of settings from blues clubs to full-scale musical theater productions. Because his musical tastes are so diverse, Eric is a musical chameleon of sorts - fitting in comfortably and seamlessly in many different styles of music. In the past decade, Eric has played in a variety of funk, blues, country, jazz, rock, and pop bands in and around the Boston area.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Berklee College of Music and a Masters Degree from Boston University. When he's not performing, Eric stays busy working as a high school band director in Northborough, MA. He considers himself very lucky to make music all day, every day - and he wouldn't want it any other way!
Adria Smith - Piano/Keyboard
Grammy nominated educator, Adria Smith, has directed ensembles, performed, and built sustaining music programs in the Boston area for over 22 years. Featured in the SBO magazine “50 Directors who make a Difference” Smith has experience teaching at University of Madison WI, Salem University, Waltham Summer Rock Band, and is currently the Head of Department at Marblehead Community Charter Public School where she received the Founding Faculty award. Smith has a professional license in Music Education as she has earned a Jazz Composition degree from Berklee College and Music Masters in Music Education from UML. An avid performer, composer, and supporter of live music, Adria Smith plays professional jazz piano with multiple bands featuring her original compositions all around the Boston area. She has recorded her compositions with James Brown’s Funky Drummer, Clyde Stubblefield, and written two piano method books. Many of Adria Smith’s students have successfully graduated in music and are currently out in the field.
Peter Broggi - Drum Set/Percussion
Peter Broggi is a music educator and performer living in Littleton, MA. He has been a music teacher in Acton since 2001 and over the years has taught classroom music, jazz band, chorus, drums, guitar, piano, and ukulele. He also taught private drum lessons in Maynard for several years.
Peter earned music education degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Music. He also studied for a year at the University of Sussex at Brighton (U.K.). He regularly plays drums (and sometimes keyboard) for the Acton Music Project, a (mostly) cover band that raises money for music education. He also plays for several music theatre productions every year, which he particularly enjoys for the variety of styles.