BIOS

JAIR KLARFELD - composer/arranger

Although born in St. Louis, Mo., Jair was raised in Wichita, Ks and went to Wichita Heights High School. He continued his education and received his Bachelors Degree in Music Education at the University of Oklahoma. In his twenty-nine years of teaching high school, he has had the honor of working with the some of the finest students in Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio. His writing skills were first recognized at a national level when he was a band director at Union High School (Tulsa, OK). In 2007, Jair retired from public school education in Texas to begin composing and arranging full time.

As a professional trumpet player, Jair has performed with the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony while touring in Europe; the Oklahoma City Symphony, Ponca City Symphony, Bartlesville Symphony, and Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. He enjoyed having the opportunity to perform with the following professional touring shows: Ice Capades and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band.

Jair has been arranging music for marching bands, jazz ensembles, concert band, orchestra, and other musical ensembles for more than 20 years. Over 400 high school marching bands across the country have performed his original compositions and arrangements. Many bands have been very successful at local, state, regional, and national competitions including Bands of America Grand Nationals, BOA regional competitions, USSBA State competitions, and Holiday and Fiesta Bowl marching competitions.

Jair’s arrangements have been performed by the University of Miami (regular games/National Championship Bowl game), University of Florida, University of New Mexico, and Illinois State University marching bands.

Jair has recently had his compositions and arrangements performed at the Texas Administrators School Board Association in October-2011, by students from Southwest HS, in San Antonio, Texas. His music was written for their marching band, string ensemble, jazz band, combined choirs (HS,MS, and Elementary students), and for their IPad Ensemble.

Jair and his wife Debbie, have been married for 34 years and have one son – Jason. Jason currently works in the Los Angeles music industry placing music in Movies, Television shows, and advertisements.

ADAM CLAY - percussion arranger

Adam Clay is currently the director of percussion/assistant director of bands at Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, TX. The summer of 2011 will be his second season on The Cavaliers percussion staff. From 1999 through 2002, Adam was a performing member of The Cavaliers bass drum line, winning three DCI World Championships and two Fred Sanford High-Percussion Trophies. In 2004 he was asked to join the staff of the Bluecoats from Canton, OH, where he served for six years on percussion staff. He was the visual caption head for Gateway World Indoor (WGI) in St. Louis, MO, for the 2005-2007 seasons.

Formerly from Memphis TN, Adam founded and directed the Grizzline the official drumline of the Memphis Grizzlies NBA Franchise- from 2006-2010 and still serves as the show designer. From 2004-2007 he was on marching percussion staff with the University of Memphis, and was marching percussion caption head for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Adam holds a music education degree from the University of Memphis and continues to be in high demand with numerous schools and organizations as a percussion arranger, composer and adjudicator.

DARREN HAZLETT - percussion arranger

Darren is an active arranger, instructor and clinician of marching percussion. He is currently a middle school band director in Pennsylvania while also serving as the arranger/director of percussion for the West Chester University Marching Band.

ALAN KEOWN - percussion arranger

Alan has been a percussion teacher and arranger for 25 years. He actively serves as an arranger and clinician for several high schools and percussion camps, and he is a published author of music for marching band.

DAVID KNIGHT - percussion arranger

David is the owner/operator of knightmusic.net. He has written percussion music for several competitive Winter Guard International (WGI), Bands of America (BOA), and regional percussion sections throughout the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. In addition he continues to be a busy percussion clinician and adjudicator across the country.

David studied percussion and music education at the University of North Texas. His teachers there included Paul Rennick, Ron Fink, Robert Schietroma, Jon Kellis, and Leigh Howard Stephens. While at UNT David also participated in several outstanding wind and percussion ensembles including the 13 time PASIC Champion UNT Drumline and the UNT Steel Band.

David also holds a B.S. in Management from Georgia Tech where he studied percussion and electronic music with Chris Moore. He was also a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps. David’s professional affiliations include The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Percussive Arts Society. David currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

MANUEL MALDANADO - percussion arranger

He is the current Director of Percussion and Assistant Director of Bands at Johnson High School, a title he had previously held at Cedar Park High School. Over the past six years, Manny has helped the Cedar Park bands win numerous awards, including the 2006 Sudler Shield from the John Philip Sousa Foundation for marching excellence, a 7th place state finals standing in the 2005 Texas Music Educators Association Honor Band Competition, and a 2nd place finish in the 2004 State Marching Band Competition.

Before attending Cedar Park, Manny worked on staff with Leander HS in 1999 and 2000 under Amanda Drinkwater, current director of bands at Marcus HS, and Keith Witt, director of bands at Wagner HS. While at Leander, Manny helped the band make the Bands of America Grand Nationals finals competition in 1999 and a sixth-place finish at the UIL State Marching Band Contest in 2000.

Manny graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor in Music Studies in 2001. Manny also was a member of Drum Corps International’s The Cavaliers of Rosemont Illinois, where he studied under Bret Kuhn and Erik Johnson, president and founder of Innovative Percussion Inc.

MICHAEL MCINTOSH - percussion arranger

Michael McIntosh is a Yamaha artist/clinician as well as a signature artist with Innovative Percussion. He also endorses LP Percussion, EVANS drumheads, Zildjian cymbals, Sibelius notation software and is on the Dynamic Marching creative team.

Michael is currently a senior at Butler University where he is a dean?s list student pursuing a degree in theory and composition under the tutelage of composers-in-residence, Dr. Michael Schelle and Dr. Frank Felice. He is one of two percussion specialists at Carmel high school and is an adjunct faculty member at Marian University. In addition to freelance composing and digital sound design, Michael is also one of two percussion designers and arrangers for The Cavaliers drum and bugle corps.

Compositionally, Michael has been commissioned to write a piece for the Midwest Band and Orchestral Convention and has works published by Row-Loff Publications, Yamaha Sounds of Summer, Tap Space Publications, Jair Klarfeld Music, Key Poulan Music, Drop 6 Media, The Hal Leonard Corporation, Marching Show Concepts and JKS Music.