BIO

Thom Avella is a saxophonist, composer and arranger currently based in Glens Falls, New York. Avella’s music is a reflection of their lifelong obsession with the sounds of a wide spectrum of styles, from bebop, pop and classical music to hip hop, death metal, indie rock, electronic music, hardcore punk, and most things in between. Avella seeks to combine this passion for the art of sound with their diverse experiences as a musician, beginning from the first time they played a saxophone at the age of 8, and culminating with the launch of their singer/songwriter alias, Taylor Moniker, in November of 2022.

Avella earned their Bachelor of Music from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York in 2019, where they studied classical saxophone under Robert Young and Casey Grev alongside composition studies with Tim Sullivan, Gregory Wanamaker, Jerod Sommerfeldt and Phil Salathe. They performed in the school’s top jazz ensembles directed by Bret Zvacek, including the Giroux Honors Jazz Combo. Avella placed third at the 2018 North American Saxophone Alliance Collegiate Jazz Competition, and placed second in the Crane Chamber Music Competition the same year as a member of the Fratres Saxophone Quartet.

Avella recently earned a Master of Music in Jazz Studies and Arranging from William Paterson University, where they were named the Outstanding Graduate Performer of the 2021/22 academic year following composition and arranging studies with Cecil Bridgewater, Ed Neumeister, and Pete McGuinness. While a student at William Paterson, Avella premiered several new arrangements and original compositions; they also had the opportunity to arrange and conduct music by guest artist Randy Brecker for the William Paterson Jazz Orchestra.

In June 2022, Avella received a fellowship to attend the Ravinia Steans Music Institute’s Program for Jazz, a one-week, invite-only performance and composition workshop in Highland Park, Illinois, co-directed by jazz luminaries Rufus Reid, Billy Childs, and Steve Wilson.

Avella regularly performs with some of upstate New York’s finest musicians, including Joe Barna, Tarik Shah, Ian Macdonald and Jason Emmond. They have also performed around the tri-state area with ensembles including the Interplay Jazz Orchestra, One More Once Big Band, and Jazz Loft Big Band. In 2016, they were a member of the original house band for the jam session at the Jazz Loft, a venue in their hometown of Stony Brook.

To learn more about Avella’s musical and professional experience, check out their CV.