Master Sergeant Christopher M Gaona

Master Sergeant Chris Gaona, percussion, is the Musical Director and Group Leader of the Academy Band’s premier jazz ensemble, the Falconaires.  He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  His principal percussion teachers include Doug Walter and Chris Hanning with extensive studies in jazz pedagogy with Dr. John Davis, Director of Jazz Studies at CU Boulder.  Chris’s experiences as a performer and leader with the Falconaires have afforded him the opportunities to work with many jazz greats such as Sammy Nestico, The New York Voices, John Hollenbeck, Shelly Berg, Marcus Roberts, Jon Hendricks and Diane Schuur.  As the drummer for the Falconaires, he has been featured on three Falconaires CD’s: String of Pearls, A Touch of Jobim, Ev’rytime We Say Goodbye, and Just Friends, to be released December 2006.  An extremely versatile percussionist, he has also appeared with the Boulder Philharmonic, the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Ballet.  Chris joined the Air Force Band of Mid-America in 1996 and has been with The United States Air Force Academy Band since July 1999.