I decided to approach our wedding music in a different way than the standard “hire a wedding band/DJ”. Back in January ‘23,I came up with this crazy idea of piecing together the cocktail hour and reception music using the 20+ talented musicians I planned on inviting to our wedding. We still have no idea if this will actually work out, especially since everyone will have open bar access starting at 5pm… Nonetheless, putting the music for this evening together has been a truly special experience for me as I’ve gotten to work with some of my favorite people from my musical past. Below are little blurbs about each of the performers.

Jenny aka Jalpaca (DJ for cocktail hour and beginning of reception) - Jenny and I went to Stern together. After graduating we both happened to pick up DJ-ing and have been learning from each other. She’s pushed me to become more organized and use hot cues, while I’ve pushed her to improvise and freestyle more. She’s my fave B2B partner 🙂

Brian McGrath (Shivers) - Brian was a member and music director of my favorite collegiate a cappella group to record, UPenn Penny Loafers. As a freshman he had the gall to argue about the musical function of a stupid chord for 15 minutes with me in the middle of recording. Still, he’s one of my favorite people to argue about stupid music shit with and someone who I admire as an arranger, musician, and person. Brian loves Philly sports and is the kind of guy who loves climbing greased lamp poles during championship celebrations.

Carly Schiff (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!) - Carly was the go to “star soloist” belter in my college group, Northwestern Extreme Measures (3 years). The two of us (and Brett) also started Backtrack together. I learned how to think about visual aesthetic in music from Carly. She handled a lot of the visual (choreo and wardrobe) for both groups and was my non-MD counterpart for many years. She now lives in the burbs with her husband, Andrew, and two adorable girls.

Muna Uwanamodo and Sophia Leung (Empire State of Mind) - Muna and Sophia are the current music directors of the Penny Loafers and juniors at Penn (they’re babies). Together, they led the group to a quarterfinal win in their first ICCA (Perfect Perfect competition) ever. I love working with both of them and they are one of the main reasons I still work with Loaf.

Ashley Santaniello (How Far I’ll Go) - Ashley was the President of the Penny Loafers when the group came back to me to record their 2023 album, The Other Side. The pandemic really hit a lot of collegiate a cappella groups hard and Ashley was instrumental in holding the group together and putting together a really great album. Ashley is a pleasure and pain in the ass to work with because she’s more of a perfectionist than me.

Brett Parker (The Middle) - Brett and I sang together for four years in Extreme Measures and three years in Backtrack. His positivity and jazz background perfectly complemented my asshole-ness and classical composition background. I fondly remember standing outside in the freezing Chicago cold talking about ICCAs till 1am after our late ass EM rehearsal. He now lives the Westchester burbs with his wonderful wife, Hannah, and his two boys. Brett likes computers.

Peter Stein aka bitch (Tennessee Whiskey) - Pete was a Freshman in Extreme Measures when I was a Senior. An incredibly talented musician, singer, and leader, Pete did what I couldn’t and won an ICCA QF. He also was also one of the token white guys in our “Asian beer pong fantasy football” friend group. Pete loves the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson, let’s ride.

David Baker (Story of My Life) - David and I directed an a cappella camp in CT for several years together. He was the inspiring educator who taught the kids the notes and dealt with all the admin whatnot while I brought the arranging, recording, and chaos. A true prep school Renaissance man, he teaches, coaches, and music directs at a crazy high level. I can’t thank him enough for all the opportunities he’s brought to me and Backtrack through his school, Kingswood Oxford.

Dara Gallagher (Bring Me to Life) - Dara and I currently sing in Iris, a vocal trio, together. She’s one of the most talented and hardworking vocalists I know. A terrific dancer, Dara’s been my go to choreographer for all my a cappella stuff. She lives in Jersey with her dog, Apache, and her wonderfully, supportive husband, Mike. TBH, we took a lot of inspiration from their wedding and their marriage.

Josh Kim aka Joshuaaaa (All The Small Things) - Josh and I were on the same floor Freshman year at Northwestern, roommates two years in college and two years in NYU Steinhardt grad school. He’s a jack of all trades musician and an actual trend setter (he was wearing skinny jeans/V-necks in 2007 and was listening to Skrillex in 2008). I’ve always appreciated his unique perspective on anything in the arts. Truly one of my favorite people to argue about Lebron and Taylor Swift with.

Cara Klewin (Misery Business) - Cara and I sang in a post-collegiate a cappella group, The Workshop, for two years. She’s a true rockstar belter with stage presence I envy. After I left the group, we remained close friends through bar hopping and trivia at The Belfry. I owe her the world for helping me navigate my toxic relationships in my late 20s.

Per My Last Email aka PMLE (live band) - PMLE is the reason I am able to bring this crazy idea to life. They are a bunch of guys from Stern who started playing together for fun. These guys have only played three shows together before our wedding. It’s been an amazing experience working with PMLE and I can’t thank them enough for the time and effort they put into tonight. Huge shout out to their partners (Robin, Michelle, Hill-dawg, Nyla) for dealing with the long rehearsal hours.