Design Team

Alex Santa, United Percussion 2 Program Director

Brad Donoris, Artistic Director & Visual Designer

Alex Beltran, Battery Arranger

Jesse Valencia, Front Ensemble Caption Head

Luke Chemidlin, Battery Caption Head

Sal Azzara, Sound Designer

Tony Lymon, Production Coordinator

 Scroll Below For Staff Biography Information

DESIGN TEAM

Alex Santa

Program Director

Alex has been involved in Directing UP2 since 2020, and this will be his first season as Program Director for the group. Alex began his marching career in 2007 with the Quakertown Community High School Marching Band. From there he went on to study Percussion at West Chester University under Ralph Sorrentino and Dave Nelson. In 2012, Alex marched with the Hawthorne Caballeros playing Snare Drum - and from there went on to perform with Matrix Percussion (Based out of Akron, OH) in 2013, placing 4th in WGI World Championships.

Alex has taught/arranged for many programs in the Southeast PA Region such as Daniel Boone HS, Neshaminy HS and even spending 4 years with Hempfield High School( Landisville PA) - as the Percussion Director for the Indoor and Outdoor seasons. During his time with Hempfield HS, they went three straight years as champions in the local circuit and were awarded with High Percussion Awards. Alex also spent time teaching and arranging for Millersville University’s Marching Band from 2017-2018. From 2014-2018 Alex served as the Battery Coordinator for the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps, along with teaching programs such as Penn State Indoor Drumline, and the Connecticut Hurricanes. This will be Alex’s Sixth season returning as Program Director for UP2.

Brad Donoris

Artistic Director & Visual Designer

Brad has been an active educator and visual designer of the marching arts for over 20 years. His performance experience includes The Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps and the Santa Clara Vanguard. He has been involved with many independent groups over the years, including the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps, Lehigh Valley Knights, Teal Sound, Crossmen, 7th Regiment, Boston Crusaders, and Q Winter Guard, (WGI IO Finalist 2016, 2017). Currently, Brad is the visual designer for the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps, and on the visual team at the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps, (2017-Present). In addition to working with independent groups, Brad has worked with many scholastic ensembles, most recently with visual instruction at King Philip H.S. from Wrentham, MA. and Homestead H.S, (BOA Grand National Finalist 2018), from Ft. Wayne, IN Currently, he is the visual designer for Pecos H.S. from Pecos, TX, (BOA San Antonio Regional Class A Champion 2022). Brad was involved with United Percussion in 2004 & from 2017-Present. He is also the artistic director & visual designer for United Percussion 2.

Alex Beltran

Battery Arranger

Alex Beltran is an active writer, teacher, performer, and clinician from New England, now based in Southwest Ohio. He holds a Masters Degree in Music History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he also received an Undergraduate Degree in Percussion Performance studying under Ayano Kataoka and Thom Hannum. 

While at UMass, Alex was a member of the UMass Minuteman Marching Band Battery from 2010 through 2013. He was also a member of The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps from 2011 through 2014, where he won the DCI World Championship in 2011 and the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award while serving as battery section leader for the 2013 season. Following his age out from The Cadets, he transitioned to the battery staff as the main quad technician for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before joining the percussion staff at the Boston Crusaders in 2017. 

During his graduate studies, Alex served as Teaching Assistant to Thom Hannum from 2014 to 2016 where he worked primarily with the front ensemble. From 2016 through 2019, Alex worked as the primary instructor for the UMass Drumline, where he arranged for the battery alongside Thom Hannum and Colin McNutt, and facilitated daily rehearsals for the entire percussion section. 

Outside of United Percussion, Alex is the Battery Caption Manager for the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, where he handles the daily teaching, equipment, and logistical needs of the battery and coordinates the teaching staff. He is also the interim Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands program, where he oversees the writing, growth, and development of the percussion program of the Bearcat Bands. 

Alex proudly endorses Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Zildjian Cymbals, and Pearl Adams Instruments

Jesse Valencia

Front Ensemble Caption Head

Jesse’s marching experience started with Cadets2 in 2014 and continued on to march the Cadets in 2016 and 2017. Jesse has also been heavily involved in the Percussion Independent World scene in WGI, having marched with Cadets Winter Percussion in 2015 and 2016 and with United Percussion in 2018, all PIW finalist groups. 

As an educator, Jesse has proven an accomplished arranger as the Caption Head and Arranger at both Downingtown East High School outdoor program and the Downingtown Area School District indoor percussion program from 2017-2020. Jesse also taught Cadets2 during the 2017-2018 seasons and has since taught United Percussion 2’s Front Ensemble in the 2020 season and 2024-present seasons.

Tony Lymon

UP2 Front Ensemble Arranger/Sound Design

Tony currently serves on the design team and is Audio Caption Supervisor for Carolina Crown. He recently completed a 24 year tenure as the co-music arranger/show designer for the Petal High School marching band in Petal, Mississippi and was the director and show designer for the Petal Indoor Percussion Theatre, a national WGI Percussion Scholastic World Class Finalist. He has twice been awarded the Outstanding Junior High Director of the Southeast Mississippi Band Directors Association and the 2008 Mississippi Bandmasters Association AE McClain Outstanding Young Band Director Award. Tony was also the Founder and Director of Eminence Indoor Percussion Ensemble (2003-2005), a regional and national WGI Open Class finalist and championship ensemble.

Tony holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Certification in 3D Architectural Rendering from The 3D Training Institute of New York. He was a member and principal percussionist in the world renowned Southern Miss Wind Ensemble and Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra. While at Southern Miss, Tony was the percussion arranger for the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band and USM indoor percussion ensemble. Tony was also a member of the World Champion Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps (Bloomington, IN) from 1991-1993. In his three years of DCI experience, he won the DCI-Midwest Solo Timpani Champion and the 1994 Percussive Arts Society International Solo Timpani Award.

 Tony's original marimba composition "Of Thoughts and Thinking" has become a standard in percussion literature. The piece was most recently recorded by German percussion artist Cornelia Monkse on the CD "Marimba 2" and was featured in the French documentary film "Le Ciel."

After college, Tony pursued a professional performance career for eight years with the pop/rock band King Konga . While with King Konga, Tony toured the world selling out venues nationwide. The group did a post September 11th USO tour for the U.S. Military in Hawaii and South East Asia. The four-piece band gained critical acclaim reaching #81 on the AC Hot 100 Pop Charts with "Something Good." With a rare accomplishment by an independent band, King Konga captured the eyes and ears of many major record labels and the band went on to perform at Woodstock '99. Tony has also performed with The Mississippi Symphony, Mobile Opera, Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera and The Meistersingers Orchestral/Choral Ensemble.

He has also served as Sound Designer for The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018 and Creative Designer for Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps 2019-2020. He is the owner of Eidetic Creative, a multimedia creative designs solution business. He currently resides in Petal, Mississippi with his wife Emily and 16-year-old daughter Colette.

Luke Chemidlin

Battery Caption Head

Luke Chemidlin is an enthusiastic percussion instructor and educator based in Somerville NJ. Luke began his marching career with Immaculata High School where he discovered his love for music and performance. He began marching independently in DCI open class with the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps (2014) on quads, and later went on to march 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (2016). During this time, he was also section leader of the Rutgers University Drumline (2015-2016). Luke then performed with the Cadets2 Drum and Bugle Corps (2017). In addition to marching DCI, Luke was also a part of the 2017 United Percussion quad line.

In recent years, Luke has gone back to Immaculata high school to help teach and grow the program. He began his teaching career 6 years ago, helping to design and arrange Immaculata’s marching band program as well as their indoor drumline program (2015-Present). He now runs the percussion program as Percussion Caption Head. This will be Luke’s third year teaching with United Percussion 2; first as a quad tech, then serving as Battery Coordinator, and now as Battery Caption Head.

Throughout the course of his marching career, Luke has had the privilege of learning from incredible instructors, including Dan Bonham, Neil Cote, Ken Riehman, Paul Nalesnik, John Forte, Jeff Bickford, Omi Batan, Carlos Vazquez, Brendan Murphy, Andrew Kain, Joe Ciancimino, Alex Beltran, and many more. Luke is honored to take part in the United Percussion organization, and eagerly awaits to continue the tradition of excellence!

INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM

Charles Cuautli

Battery Coordinator

Charles is excited to be returning to United Percussion 2 for the 2023 season!

Charles is a New Jersey based musician and educator. He started his drum corps career performing with the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps (‘14-‘15) and would go on to march The Hawthorne Cabelleros (‘16), Cadets2 (‘18) and Jersey Surf (‘19). Charles spent his winters marching East Coast Percussion (‘15) and United Percussion (‘16-‘18).

Charles holds a degree in Music Education and is an elementary music teacher in Wood-Ridge, NJ. He was essential to the creation and organization of the Kean University Drum line in 2021. He currently serves as Co-Battery Caption Head at his alma mater Passaic High School.

Jacob Barrie

Snare Technician

Jacob is a percussionist and educator currently working in New Jersey. He is excited to bring his talents and love of the marching arts to United Percussion 2! Jacob began his independent marching career playing snare drum with The Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019. He marched with the Caballeros again in 2021, and aged out of DCI marching with The Cadets in 2022. Jacob had the extreme pleasure of aging out of WGI with United Percussion World in 2023.

Jacob is also a classically trained percussionist who received a degree in performance from Rutgers University. While studying at Rutgers, Jacob studied under Joe Tompkins, Ian Sullivan, Mike Truesdell, and Javier Diaz, and Dr. Todd Nichols. He has been teaching the Immaculata High School Drumline since 2018. Jacob feels honored to have been mentored and taught by some of the most highly regarded educators in the activity throughout his marching career. He has been taught by the likes of: Paul Nalesnik, Dan Bonham, Tom Aungst, Mark Monaghan, Mike Galletta, Alex Beltran, and many others.

When not teaching or performing, Jacob loves to watch hockey, go to the gym, and pet dogs. He is thrilled to continue to be part of the United organization in 2024!

Cody Gross

Snare Technician

Matt Krause

Snare Technician

Matt Krause is an up and coming percussion educator in the New Jersey area. He was a percussion instructor for Monroe Township High school and Bushwackers Academy, and will be returning for his second season as a snare tech for United Percussion 2.

Matt found his love for the activity while participating in the indoor and outdoor percussion programs at Toms River High School North. He began his drum corps career with the Bushwackers in 2015 and then returned later to march another 4 seasons (2018-2022), finishing his career as section leader. Matt attended Villanova University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and master’s degree in Software Engineering, and is currently a software engineer for Lockheed Martin.

Overall, Matt is highly passionate about the activity and ready to bring the energy to the teaching side of things. He is a loyal and devoted member of the organizations he is part of, and is excited to help mold the future of United Percussion 2.

David Patterson Jr.

Snare Technician

David Patterson Jr is a marching arts educator and designer currently based out of New Jersey.

Starting his percussion career at Point Pleasant Boro HS, he found his way to independent WGI marching East Coast Percussion (2017-2018) on snare and later traveled to the west coast to win a WGI PIO gold medal with Bakersfield College (2019). Covid put a stop to his marching career as he could not march for his last two years and he moved back to New Jersey.

However, he used this as an opportunity to help teach and grow programs in the tri-state area. He served as active program coordinator and co-director at Plymouth Whitemarsh HS in PA (2020-2023) and is now an active program consultant/arranger there. Currently, he serves as Percussion Caption Head at Woodbridge HS and Battery Coordinator, with fellow United Percussion Technician, Mike O’Leary, at Edison HS; and, this past summer he spent his time as the Battery Coordinator for The Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps in 2023.

David could not be more excited to join UP2 for the 2024 season!

Matt Goble

Tenor Technician

Matt Goble is a percussion educator based in Ocean County, New Jersey. He currently teaches at Madison High School, 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and is very excited to joining the United Percussion 2 staff for the 2023 season.

Matt was first exposed to the marching arts during his time at Barnegat High School. He went on to march drum corps with the Raiders from 2016-2018, and the Hawthorne Caballeros from 2019-2021. His indoor experience in includes East Coast Percussion from 2017-2018, United Percussion 2 in 2019, and United Percussion for the 2021-2022 seasons. Matt is proud to have been a part of UP2's inaugural season, and is looking forward to contribute towards the group's future.

Over the years, Matt has been fortunate enough to learn from great educators, including Paul Nalesnik, Kirby Marino, Mark Monaghan, Alex Hartley, Floyd Murray, Alex Beltran, Andrew Rubano, and many more. Matt is enthused to continue their legacy in this activity with United Percussion 2.

Kevin Brooks

Bass Technician

Kevin Brooks joins UP2 as a bass drum technician for the 2023 season!

From Lansdale, PA, Kevin is an educator in the marching arts, specializing in Marching Bass Drum. Over the past 15 years, Kevin has worked with a multitude of ensembles in the Tri-state area including, but not limited to, Cheltenham HS (PSRA) from Wyncote, PA, Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corps (DCA) from Harrison, NJ, and Imperial Dynasty (PIW) from Wilmington, DE.

Kevin is a member of the Salyers Percussion Education Team.

Outside the marching arts, Kevin works in sales/installation of industrial chemical storage tanks, pipes, pumps, and valves.

Megan Atkinson

Bass Technician

Rachel Orth

Cymbal Technician

Rachel first began marching with the Lower Dauphin High School Marching Band on the flute in 2012 before serving as drum major in 2014 and 2015. She also joined the Indoor Drumline her freshman year, where she was first introduced to and quickly fell in love with playing the cymbals. Rachel went on to march cymbals in WGI Independent World Class as a member of United Percussion from 2017 through 2020. She was section leader for United in 2020.

Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. She is now in her 3rd year at UPenn’s School of Veterinary Medicine where she is majoring in small animal medicine with interests in surgery and internal medicine. 2023 will be her first season teaching cymbals for United Percussion 2. She is very excited for the opportunity to return to UP to teach and give back to the next generation of cymbal players!

Oscar Marino

Cymbal Technician

Oscar is a marching arts educator currently in the greater Philadelphia area. He is originally from Fair Lawn, NJ, where he started marching with the marching band & indoor percussion ensembles. After graduating, Oscar moved to Delaware to attend the University of Delaware and march in the UDMB. During his marching career, Oscar has also marched in the Hawthorne Caballeros, Jersey Surf, United Percussion 2, and aged out with United Percussion World in 2023. He has previously taught at Middletown HS, for both marching band and indoor drumline. 

Oscar currently lives in Delaware, where he is finishing his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware, and is working for W. L. Gore & Associates. This will be his first year teaching United Percussion 2, and is thrilled to be joining the team as a cymbal and visual staff member.

Adam Germ

Visual Technician

Adam Germ is a pageantry arts educator and choreographer from Quakertown, Pennsylvania. His teaching career began in the fall of 2019 with the Central Bucks South High School marching band and is continuing his work through the upcoming 2023 fall season. He currently serves as the Visual Caption Head with Central Bucks and has since 2022. Adam is also a member of the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps visual staff, where he teaches marching technique and dance fundamentals with the hornline.

Adam is an alumni of the Quakertown Community High School Class of 2019 and is currently enrolled part time as a physics major at his local community college. He began his performing career with his high school marching band, and went on to perform with other ensembles such as The Cadets2 (2018) and the Blue Stars (2019-2022) drum corps.

Adam is very excited to spend his winter with United this season!

Sal Azzara

Front Ensemble Caption Head

Sal Azzara is a front ensemble educator, arranger, and sound designer based in the Southeast PA region. He is currently employed as an Editor at J.W. Pepper.

Sal studied Music Education at West Chester University and has performed with West Chester’s Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, and marching band. His marching experience includes performing with The Buccaneers (’15-’16), The Cadets (’17-’18), and United Percussion (’20, ’22) as a front ensemble member.

An active educator in the Southeast PA region for many years, he has been working with the Shippensburg University Marching Band since 2019, Downingtown Indoor Percussion since 2019, and has served as Front Ensemble Arranger and Sound Designer at Downingtown Indoor Percussion and the Shippensburg University Marching Band since 2020. He has also served as the Front Ensemble Coordinator and Sound Designer at the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps since 2020. 

He is excited to start his second year with United Percussion 2, his first as Front Ensemble Caption Head.

Tricia Pardave

Front Ensemble Technician

Tricia is a percussion educator based in New Jersey. Her experience in the marching arts began at West Essex High School. Afterwards, Tricia went on to attend the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she received her bachelor's in Information Technology. During her studies, she began her first drum corps season with the Hawthorne Caballeros.

She was a member of the Caballeros from 2018 to 2022 performing on vibraphone and marimba. Her teaching experience includes Fort Lee HS, West Morris Mendham HS, and New Milford HS.

Currently, Tricia works as a Data Engineer for Prudential Financial in Newark, NJ. She is excited to return for another season with United Percussion 2!

Raman Dhingra

Front Ensemble Technician

Raman is a percussion educator based in the greater Philadelphia area. Originally from Trumbull, CT, he started his marching career at Trumbull High School. After graduating, Raman went on to attend the University of Delaware where he was a member of the Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band. He was a member of United Percussion in 2019 and 2020. His teaching experience includes Trumbull HS, Cab Calloway HS, Upper Darby HS, and Unionville HS.

Currently, Raman lives in Delaware and works as an Aerospace Engineer. He is the front ensemble coordinator at Unionville High School in Kennett Square, PA and has been on the front ensemble staff at United Percussion 2 since the 2023 season. 

Raman is a member of the Vic Firth/Zildjian Education team.

Gerard Brown

Front Ensemble Technician

Gerard Brown is a percussionist, arranger, and educator based in Central New Jersey. He is currently employed in Franklin Township as an elementary music teacher.

Gerard received his degree in Music Education from Rutgers and studied under Joe Tompkins and Javier Diaz. His marching experience includes performing with The Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps (2017-2019), East Coast Percussion (2018), Imperial Dynasty (2019), United Percussion (2020, 2022), and The Blue Knights (2021).

Gerard has taught and arranged for many programs around New Jersey including J.P. Stevens High School, Pemberton High School, Edison High School, and Bridgewater-Raritan High School. He currently serves as the Percussion Caption Head at Sayreville High School. Gerard has also served as the arranger for the Old Bridge High School Marching Band and Indoor Percussion Ensemble since 2022. Additionally, he has been teaching at the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps since 2022.

He is looking forward to returning to the United Percussion organization, this time as staff member for United Percussion 2.

Jesse Valencia

Front Ensemble Technician

Jesse’s marching experience started with Cadets2 in 2014 and continued on to march the Cadets in 2016 and 2017. Jesse has also been heavily involved in the Percussion Independent World scene in WGI, having marched with Cadets Winter Percussion in 2015, 2016 and with United Percussion in 2018.

As an educator, Jesse has proven an accomplished Caption Head and Arranger at Downingtown East High School with their outdoor program and the Downingtown Area School District indoor percussion program from 2017-2020. Jesse also taught Cadets2 in 2017 and 2018 as well as United Percussion 2 in 2020. Currently he is active as arranger and educator for the Bushwackers DCA corps from winter 2019-present.