Aaron & Friends

Payton Brown is a Composition Major at the Eastman School of Music, where he studies under David Liptak. Payton has written a multitude of compositions, including a piano solo, a string quartet, and a trio for clarinet, bassoon and piano, all of which were premiered at the Eastman School of Music; a full orchestra piece, which was premiered by the Melbourne Community Orchestra; a woodwind quintet, which was premiered by the Space Coast Symphony Youth Orchestra; and a concert band piece, which was premiered at Satellite High School.   In addition to composition, Payton is an Oboe Performance major at the Eastman School of Music, where he studies under Richard Killmer. He is currently Rotating Principal Oboe with the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Eastman Wind Orchestra. Prior to attending Eastman, Payton resided in Satellite Beach, FL, where he studied under Eric Ohlsson, Jamie Roberts, and Robert Sheena. During that time, he volunteered with the Melbourne Community Orchestra and the MusicMDs program, performing for critical care patients in hospitals to assist in their recovery. Payton has performed with the Odessa National Ballet Company in the professional productions of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, and was a guest soloist with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, where he played Marcello’s Concerto in C Minor. Payton has participated in numerous festivals, including Maine Chamber Music Seminar, Miami Music Festival, Berlin Opera Academy, Hidden Valley Music Seminar English Horn Masterclass with Robert Walters, NAfME All-National Orchestra, Florida All-State Orchestra, Curtis Summerfest, FSU Chamber Winds Seminar, USF Festival of Winds, and the Stetson Double Reed Workshop, where he was awarded the National Bandmaster Association’s Award for Musicianship. He is also a mathematics major at the University of Rochester.  Payton credits his success to the many great music teachers in Brevard County. Specifically, Mark Nelson was instrumental in his compositional development through early and consistent exposure to music theory. In addition, Carey Moorman was crucial in his development as a musician, serving as a role model through his rigorous attention to detail, as well as introducing Payton to chamber music.

Lucas Cornejo is a junior at Melbourne High School. His passion for music began at age 2 when he used to entertain his family by jamming out with Red Hot Chili peppers on his miniature guitar. Guitar lessons began in earnest when Lucas was 8, and a short time after, he began tinkering on a baby grand piano his mom had found on Facebook Marketplace. He would improvise for hours at a time, and discovered he could teach himself complex pieces by ear. During the Covid-19 quarantine, his mom, a classically trained violist, noticed the potential in his improvisations and bought him a music composition software, with which he would write many pieces.  Under the guidance of Aaron Collins, three of Lucas’s pieces won him a spot at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute program for music composition during the summer of 2022. Lucas currently plays violin in the Melbourne High School orchestra program and has ambitions to attend Florida State University to major in music composition, with longer term goals of writing music for film. He draws inspiration from John Powell, Hans Zimmer, Frédéric Chopin, Gustav Holst, and J.S. Bach.

Guyfrancis Charleston is a freshman currently attending Melbourne High School. Charleston started playing violin in the sixth grade and loved playing it ever since. While in seventh grade, his orchestra director had her students do an assignment writing a short piece of music. He fell in love with composition immediately after.  He loves to create music and is thrilled when listeners are moved by his music. Charleston spends much of his time listening to classical music, trying to gain inspiration from the masters.  He is also an accomplished violinist, receiving several music awards in middle school and has been selected to perform with the All-County Orchestra the past two years. He also performs in the top orchestra at his school, something reserved for upperclassmen.  Aside from being a great student with a 3.5 GPA, attending honors classes, he plays football, throws in track & field, and is a part of the AFJROTC.