Dr. Ness
Saxophonist, Music Teacher
Dr. Ness holds degrees in saxophone performance and music education from Northwestern University (B.M. 2011), ethnomusicology from the University of Miami (M.M. 2013), and saxophone performance from Shenandoah Conservatory (DMA 2016). She has studied with world-renowned saxophonists Fred Hemke, Dale Underwood, and Timothy Roberts. She holds Teaching Certifications in the states of Illinois and Virginia in the U.S., and Victoria in Australia (VIT). From 2016-2019 she taught elementary general music in the Fairfax County Public School system. She has participated in numerous jazz, classical, and contemporary music ensembles including the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Wind Symphony, Doahnamics Saxophone Quartet, Melbourne Saxophone Ensemble, and 100SAX. She is the 2012 University of Miami recipient for the Presser Music Award, which funded her research in Melbourne, Australia, where she studied contemporary Australian saxophone music. She is currently pursuing a PhD in musicology at the University of Melbourne to write the history of the saxophone in Australia.
Aaron Gallagher
Saxophonist, Composer, Sound Engineer, Video Game Designer
Aaron Gallagher holds a M.M. in Composition from George Mason University and B.M. in Jazz Studies from Morehead State University. His compositions have been performed across the U.S. and in Melbourne, Australia.
Aaron is also an avid sound engineer, computer-builder, and programmer. He programs video games in C++ using Unreal Engine 4 and has a certificate in the Unreal Developers Course. He conceptualized, designed, and prototyped a basic role playing game with a complete demo level. In addition, he scored and sequenced the soundtrack for the demo and programmed the audio into the game.