Tri-City Percussion

Chris began his musical journey with the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets in 1997-1998, he continued on to perform with the Santa Clara Vanguard from 1999-2001. Chris began his teaching career with SCVC in 2002 and eventually moved on to join the SCV percussion staff from 2005-2009. Chris was also a percussion instructor at Bluecoats (2010-2013) as well as Percussion Caption Manager for the Blue Knights (2014-2017) Since 2005, he can also be seen performing with the San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, and with Blue Devils Entertainment. Over the years Chris has been a educator, composer, choreographer, and clinician for dozens of schools.

Ryoken Apostol is a music educator, marching arts educator, cymbal specialist, visual instructor, visual design consultant, and jazz saxophonist based in the Bay Area, CA. He currently teaches Tri-City Percussion, Thesis Percussion, Blue Devils B, and has worked with high school groups throughout the Bay Area since 2017. He refined his skills as a musician with ensembles all across Northern and Southern California. In his earlier years, he spent his time performing with Tri-City Percussion 2018-2019, Vessel Percussion in 2020, Blue Devils B 2019-2020, and with Broken City Percussion in 2022. As a San Jose local, Ryoken has been immersed into music in the Alum Rock district where he first began his musical journey. Apostol continued his studies after high school and completed his AA-T in Music at West Valley College, and is currently attending San Jose State University completing his undergraduate degree in Music Education.

Coming soon!

Shawn is a passionate and accomplished figure in the world of marching arts, currently residing in Brentwood, California. His journey in performance began with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, where he marched from 2012 to 2016. Following his time with the Colts, Shawn joined the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, performing with them in 2017 and 2018. Shawn has taken on various roles across numerous Fall and Indoor programs nationwide, excelling as a visual designer and program coordinator. His creative vision and leadership skills have made a significant impact on the marching community. Currently, Shawn works at BD Performing Arts in the front office, where he contributes to the operational success of the organization. In addition, he serves as the Visual Designer for Blue Devils C and is part of the administrative team for Blue Devils B. Through his work, Shawn continues to inspire and shape the next generation of performers, leaving an impact on the marching arts landscape.

Brianna Gier is a dedicated visual designer, choreographer, and educator from Northern California. Her passion for the performing arts started in 2005 when she took ballet classes at a local dance school. Brianna explored various dance styles through Dance Production during high school and actively participated in multiple band ensembles. After graduating from Enochs High School in 2017, she transitioned to drum corps, marching trumpet with the Blue Devils B Drum and Bugle Corps. Since then, Brianna has shared her skills as a designer, marching/movement instructor, and choreographer with numerous programs across Northern California, including Homestead High School, Foothill High School, The Mandarins, and Blue Devils B. In 2022, she joined the Visual Staff for the Blue Devils B Drum and Bugle Corps, and in 2023, she joined the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps Visual Staff. By 2024, she was promoted to Visual Caption Manager for Blue Devils B. Her education promotes growth, self-confidence, and excellence among young performers. Alongside her marching arts endeavors, Brianna is also working towards a Bachelor’s degree in English for Secondary Education and obtaining a Professional and Technical Writing certification.

Originally from the Central Valley, Victor has relocated to Northern California to pursue a degree in music education. His journey has allowed him to collaborate with diverse groups, enhancing both his personal and professional growth. With performance and teaching experience within the Blue Devil organization, Victor is dedicated to sharing his passion for music by teaching at various programs throughout the Bay Area.

Patrick has served as a percussion educator, program coordinator, designer, and clinician. Earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with a minor in Sociology from CSU Chico. Patrick has been an active participant in the DCI/WGI realm for over 10 years. Prior experience includes Mandarins '13-'14, front ensemble section leader in 2014, Vanguard Winter Percussion in 2015, and aging out with Blue Knights in 2015. Patrick served as a Front Ensemble Technician for Mandarins 2016 season and later as a Front Ensemble Coordinator for Sacramento State in 2022, achieving their highest recorded score in history. Currently, Patrick works as a Human Service Specialist, assisting low-income families with government assistance programs, as well as a Percussion Consultant for several schools. Patrick is currently pursuing his 3rd Bachelor’s Degree in Administrative Justice, at Sacramento State. In his leisure time, he enjoys spending time with his fiancée, traveling, and is a soon-to-be father to Baby Kairo Leray Manning.

Vivian Nguyen is a percussionist and marching arts educator based in San Jose, CA. After graduating from Oak Grove High School, she began her independent marching career at Tri-City Percussion in 2019, followed by Blue Devils B in 2019 and Vessel Indoor in 2020. After the pandemic, she returned to the floor to march her age out season with Thesis Indoor Percussion in 2023. Since graduating high school in 2018, Vivian has been teaching high schools and independent ensembles throughout the South Bay Area. She is currently the percussion director and front ensemble arranger at Santa Teresa High School and a front ensemble instructor at Thesis Percussion. Aside from her passion with music, she has a passion for child development. She studied at San Jose State University, where she obtained her B.A. in Child Development in 2022.

Gabriel Umali is a percussionist from Elk Grove, CA. His independent marching experience began at Sacramento State Indoor in 2022, followed by performing with Thesis Indoor Percussion and Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps, marching his age out season at Thesis in 2024. While participating in the 2023-2024 seasons, Gabe has also taught at Franklin HS (Elk Grove), sharing his passion and passing down knowledge and lessons he learned from his mentors, peers and his marching experience. Currently, Gabe continues teaching Franklin as the front ensemble caption head. He is excited about the unique opportunity at Tri-City Percussion to collaborate with everyone and continue his passion for music and still be a part of the marching arts activity. Aside from his musical hobbies, Gabe has accumulated worthwhile experiences working as a cook in both restaurant and hotel environments to pursue a career path in the culinary field.

Lauren Wong is a sound engineer from the Bay Area, CA. A graduate of James Logan High School, she has worked with James Logan High School, Cupertino High School, Tri City Percussion, and Thesis Indoor. Outside of the marching arts, she has obtained her degree in Marketing, International Business, Economics, and Anthropology.

Kyle Boydstun loves the study of the sciences of sound and music. He has taught percussion at Freedom HS, California HS, and currently Clayton Valley Charter HS. Kyle also teaches audio science and mixing at Anthem Music Academy. His past performing experiences include Blue Devils B 2017-2018, Tri City Percussion 2019-2020, and Blue Devils Entertainment. Balancing being a full time audio engineer working at some of Northern California's most notable music recording studios while also being a passionate educator in the music space, he's extremely excited to give back something unique to the marching arts this season.

Brandon Hussey is a dedicated educator with over 20 years of experience in the marching arts. As a member he performed with the Sacramento Freelancers, Mandarins, CSU Sacramento, and Santa Clara Vanguard, and as an educator has coached in the Sacramento to San Jose areas, Team Percussion USA, Blue Knights, and Mandarins. Now working as a freelance educator, Brandon collaborates with marching band programs and mentors students. His approach is shaped by influential mentors, including Don Silva, Roger Carter, Blair Williams, Murray Gusseck, Chris Cyr, Mike Jackson and all the team members associated. Brandon resides in the California Bay Area with Marielle and Tombo.

Casey Quevedo is an experienced world class marching percussion educator from Fremont, California. He is currently a snare instructor with Blue Devils B, Thesis Indoor Percussion and Saratoga High School. In addition, he is the battery caption head for Cupertino High School and is involved with Sparta Indoor and Tri-City Percussion as a battery consultant. Casey began his journey in 7th grade as a percussionist in his middle school concert band class. Casey developed and honed his craft as a snare drummer for 6 years. His performance experience includes Norcal Indoor 2017, Tri-City Percussion 2018-2019, Dark Sky Percussion 2020-2021, Blue Devils B 2017-2019 serving as the center snare his 3rd year, Blue Devils 2020-2021, RCC Indoor Percussion 2022 and has performed with Niner Noise. Casey is ready to share his vast amount of drumming knowledge and life lessons with the next generation of marching percussionists. Outside of the marching arts, Casey is currently beginning his career path towards becoming an Airline Pilot!

Michaela Perez is from Vallejo, CA and started their journey as a marching percussionist in 2012. Michaela’s marching experience includes Tri-City Percussion 2020, Thesis 2022, Blue Devils B 2022, and Broken City 2023. Michaela has been teaching among various groups across the Bay Area and SoCal since 2019, and looks forward to continue doing so for years to come.

Coming soon!

Joshua Castellanos is from Sacramento, CA and has taught in the Elk Grove area. He has taught at Franklin High School and is currently teaching at Monterey Trail High School. Josh’s marching experience includes Incognito DBC 2019, Sac State Indoor 2020-2022, And Red Wave Indoor 2023. Outside of the marching arts, Josh is currently continuing his career path in construction!

Jerome Muynila is a Bay Area Quad tech. Muynila's marching experience includes NCI 2018, TCP 2019-20, & Thesis 2022. They have also performed with Mandarins Entertainment & Niner Noise. Aside from their marching experience, Muynila is also a Competitive Powerlifter & Coach. (The Strongest Drumline Coach in the Bay). Muynila believes that you must be a strong athlete to be a strong performer in the marching arts activity.

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Aidan Wong is a passionate cymbal player dedicated to expanding and uplifting the cymbal community. They founded the Castro Valley High School Winter Percussion program, creating new opportunities for young performers and building a thriving music scene. Aidan’s experience as a performer is highlighted by their time marching with Thesis Indoor, a world-class ensemble where they honed their skills and performed at the highest levels of the activity. Currently, Aidan teaches at James Logan High School, where their love for teaching and mentorship continues to inspire students to grow as musicians. They strive to foster a more inclusive, supportive space for cymbal players everywhere.

Devon Sablan is a marching percussion educator from Santa Clara, CA. He has performed with many of the Bay Area’s ensembles such as Team Percussion USA 2014-2016, Tri-City Percussion 2017-2019, and Vanguard Cadets 2017 on Snare drum. Devon has been teaching snare at local high schools throughout the South Bay Area such as Oak Grove HS and Leigh HS. Devon is excited to be giving back to the program that has given him so much opportunity. This is his 2nd year teaching the battery at Tri-City Percussion. Aside from teaching snare drum, Devon is the drum set player for the band Cheers for Nothing, and Devon is working on becoming a certified mechanic.

Nick is a world class experienced percussionist based out of San Jose, California. He is currently a bass technician at Cupertino High School and Thesis percussion. Nick’s marching experience includes SCVC 2016-2018, TCP 2017 and 2019, Santa Clara Vanguard 2019, and Pulse Percussion 2020. He has been teaching various schools and groups across the South Bay ever since 2017 and is very excited to share his vast knowledge of bass drumming with the up and coming students.