About Us
Brass Musicians
Current members of Occasional Brass and Strings all hail from New England, and enjoy playing weddings and events in the Boston area. Get to know them here.
Ami Fields - French Horn
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Ami holds her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Horn Performance from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the University of New Mexico, respectively. You may have heard her playing from behind the scenes in local productions such as 'A Little Night Music' at the Lyric Stage (Back Bay), or 'Into the Woods' at the New Repertory Theatre (Newton). She is currently on the road with the national tour of Monty Python's Spamalot. Ami's life ambition is to be immortalized in print on the inside of a Nantucket Nectar's lid.
ami@occasionalbrass.com
Bryan Hilliard (aka Deeb) - Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Bryan grew up in Brockton, MA, then studied with Jeff Holmes and the late Walter Chesnut while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He found the funk in 1991 and joined Rippopotamus, a Boston-based funk/rock band. During his tenure with Rippo, he opened for a variety of national acts, including Queen Latifah, Phish, Fishbone, De La Soul, and the Beastie Boys. Bryan can be heard around town playing weddings, musicals, funk, rock, big band, dixieland, salsa, merengue, and even a circus gig or two. He is a featured artist for Sonare Winds, and plays their trumpets exclusively.
bryan@occasionalbrass.com
Dan Linden - Trombone
A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music (M.M '07, B.M.'04), Dan has performed with many of the top professional orchestras in New England. He has been hired by the New Hampshire Pops, Granite State Symphony, Granite State Opera, Orchestra of Indian Hill, Nashua Symphony, Symphony by the Sea, and others. An active teacher, he is the principal brass instructor for the Northborough, MA school system. Daniel also performs frequently with various chamber groups, funk and rock bands. When not playing trombone, Daniel enjoys strumming guitars and drinking coffee.
dan@occasionalbrass.com
Diantha Millott - French Horn
Diantha Millott, originally from Las Cruces, NM moved to the Boston area in 1998. Her horn professors include Jon Boen, whom she studied with at DePaul University where she graduated with a BM in horn performance; and Paul Ingraham, whom she studied with at the Yale School of Music where she graduated with a MM in horn performance. Upon graduating from Yale, Diantha auditioned for and won a position in the Air Force Band of Liberty (1998-2002), where she continued her musical studies with Eric Ruske. Making her home in Concord, MA she continues to enjoy freelancing in various ensembles in the greater Boston area.
diantha@occasionalbrass.com
Jerome Smith - Tuba, Bass Trombone, Trombone, Piano
A native of Austin, TX, Jerome Smith attended College at UT Austin, then relocated to Boston to work on his Doctorate in Trombone at Boston University. Being no stranger to the freelance music scene, Jerome doubles on Tuba, Euphonium, and Bass Trombone, as well as encompassing all styles of music from Classical, to Jazz, Rock, and even Country/Western. You can check him out at a Red Sox game, jamming with the Hot Tamale Brass Band, or around town just rocking out. Jerome hopes to one day play in a professional orchestra.
jerome@occasionalbrass.com
Kathleen "Leenie" Doran - Trumpet, Vocals
A Massachusetts native (Westport), Kathleen (aka Leenie) Doran is a force on the trumpet and behind the microphone. A graduate from Oberlin Conservatory '04 and Berklee College of Music '07, she's comfortable in any genre or situation. You can hear Leenie around town with the Beantown Swing Orchestra, or in various jazz groups and chamber ensembles.
leenie@occasionalbrass.com
Megan Riccio - French Horn
French hornist Megan Riccio is a passionate performer and educator. She has performed with a variety of symphony and theatre orchestras throughout Massachusetts, including the Lexington Symphony, Plymouth Philharmonic, Neponset Valley Philharmonic, and others. Megan earned her Bachelor of Music degrees in both music education and performance from the UMass Amherst, and her Master of Music degree from the Longy School of Music. She spent several years in the Duxbury Public Schools as a full-time instrumental music teacher, and now maintains a large private teaching studio and performs regularly throughout New England. She is a faculty member at the South Shore Conservatory (Hingham), and teaches private lessons in the Belmont, Duxbury, and
Franklin Public Schools, as well as Derby Academy.
megan@occasionalbrass.com
Michael Stephan - Tuba
Michael Stephan is currently the principal tuba for the Orchestra of Indian Hill, acting principal tuba of the Brookline Symphony, tubist with the Bay Colony Brass and Occasional Brass and Strings. An active freelance musician, Michael has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera Company, New World Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Boston Philharmonic, West Virginia Symphony, Vermont Symphony and many orchestras throughout the New England Region. He has an Artist Diploma from Duquesne University, a Masters in Music from NEC,
and a Bachelor of Music from UMass Amherst. In his
spare time, Michael loves to ride bicycles, hike
mountains and play outside!
michael@occasionalbrass.com
Neil Godwin - French Horn
Neil holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of Mississippi. He also holds a Master of Horn Performance from Boston University, where he studied with Eric Ruske (Cleveland Symphony, Empire Brass Quintet). Neil has a wide range of experience as an orchestral, chamber, and solo performer, and has appeared with the Arlington Street Chamber Players, New World Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony, Meridian Symphony, and Monroe Symphony. He is an active teacher and performer in the New England area.
neil@occasionalbrass.com
Russell Bogartz (aka Roof) - Trombone
Russell graduated Cum Laude from UMass Amherst with a B.A. in Music Education. He planned to audition for Orchestras but joined the Rock Band Rippopotamus instead, taking on the alter ego "Roof". Rippopotamus went on to win a Boston Music Award for Outstanding Funk Band, licensed a song as the theme song for MTV's Singled Out with Jenny McCarthy, won a WFNX award for Best Jam Band and has played around the country and the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada. Russell has played with numerous ensembles from Orchestral to Jazz and from Dixieland to Funk.
russell@occasionalbrass.com
Stan Johnson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Stan has been performing professionally for 22 years. In addition to his work with us, he has been performing for weddings, holiday celebrations, and sacred music and is currently on staff with Entertainment Specialists and Groove Entertainment agencies. Stan has performed at music festivals in Montreaux, New Orleans, Chicago, Memphis, and Detroit. Recently, performances included a Western US tour with Mighty Sam McClain, sideman with guitarist Rick Russell and organist Ron Levy, and trumpet for the Sweet Willie 'D' Band. He also performs with his own jazz trio.
stan@occasionalbrass.com
Thomas Gregory - Tuba
Thomas Gregory received a Bachelor of Music in tuba performance from the Boston Conservatory of Music and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rhode Island College. He has performed with The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, The Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr., The Rhode Island Civic Choral and Orchestra as well recorded live performances in Boston, Chicago, and Norfolk, VA. He served for seven years as a tubist and electric bassist in the US Navy Bands in Norfolk and Chicago. He has performed in England, France, Iceland and 38 of the 50 United States.
thomas@occasionalbrass.com
Tom Haggerty - Tuba
Tom Haggerty's recent performing highlights include performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Pops Esplanade, Boston Philharmonic, the Hot Tamale Brass Band, and the tuba chair of the Orchestra of the Indian Hill (Littleton, MA). Previously, he earned Bachelor's Degrees at Northwestern University (B.M. tuba performance and B.S. applied mathematics) while establishing a freelance career in Chicago. Tom is currently on sabbatical from Occasional Brass, as he accepted a one-year appointment as Principal Tuba at the Beijing Opera House.
tom@occasionalbrass.com
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