Aaron & Friends

Dr. Jacob Craig is the Director of Music and Arts at First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach. He received his Bachelor of Music Education and Piano Performance degree from Shorter University in Rome, GA before moving on to Tallahassee, FL to receive his M.M. in Choral Conducting and Literature under Dr. Andre Thomas at Florida State University. As of 2019, Jacob completed his Doctorate of Sacred Music in Performance at the Graduate Theological Foundation and Oxford University.  He is the Director of the Vero Beach Choral Society, ACTS Choristers, Sea Oaks Chorus, John’s Island Singers, and Silver Tones community choirs.  Jacob is also a competitive highland bagpipe player and Pipe Major for the Vero Beach Pipes and Drums.

Praised for his colorful contrasts and fiery playing, Dr. Alessandro Fonseca has been recognized as a “musician that seeks the inner message of every note played and aims to deliver a sound both passionate and intense, but also delicate and refined.”  Dr. Fonseca has won several prizes in piano competitions in South America and also international prizes, such as 1st place in the 2019 Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition and the 2nd Prize in the Piano Section, from the 2021 Medici International Competition, Professional category. During his career, Fonseca has participated in many international festivals such as the “Liszt and Russia” festival in Los Angeles, where he—alongside other performers—played Lyapunov’s Transcendental Etudes. As a member of the American Liszt Society, he has also performed many concerts, including Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes, opera and song paraphrases, transcriptions, the b minor sonata and many others.  Dr. Fonseca won the University of Oregon 2021 Concerto Competition playing the Khachaturian Piano Concerto. Recent performances include solo recitals playing Liszt’s b minor sonata and Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto with the DSC Symphony Orchestra.  In 2022, Dr. Fonseca was awarded Second Prize at the Red Maple International Music Competition, at the Professional Musician Category. He was also awarded the Audience Prize Winner in the Concerto Competition, for his rendition of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto and M. Balakirev’s Islamey. Dr. Fonseca works as Faculty at the Daytona State College and he is teaching piano and working as an accompanist for the music school.  Originally from Brazil, Dr. Fonseca currently maintains an active career performing solo and chamber music recitals. As a chamber musician, Dr. Fonseca has performed numerous concerts in different formations. One important project is his Duo Alarte, a violin-piano collaboration with Ana Zivkovic, an active duo that performs many concerts in South America. Dr. Fonseca is also the pianist for the Bel Canto Singers of Daytona.  Alessandro initiated his piano studies and musical training in his hometown, Campo Belo, MG, in Brazil when he was 10 years old, with Gil Eliazar. Further finished his Undergraduate course under the guidance of Professor Miriam Bastos, at the Minas Gerais State University. Later he finished his Master’s in Piano Performance under the guidance of professor Alexandre Dossin, at the University of Oregon and also received an award with his degree: the Outstanding Graduate Student Keyboard Player. Alessandro had studied also with Dr David Riley, at the University of Oregon, working on chamber music repertoire. In 2021, Alessandro was awarded the Doctorate in Musical Arts, at the University of Oregon, under the guidance of Alexandre Dossin and David Riley. At the UO, Alessandro worked for 6 years, as a collaborative pianist, doing studio accompaniment for vocalists and instrumentalists. Dr. Fonseca also worked as a piano instructor, teaching applied piano lessons, and class piano.

Dylan Rhodes, a sophomore from Melbourne, FL, is pursuing a Bachelor of Music (BM) degree in Piano Performance at Florida State University’s College of Music. In high school, he studied under Dr. Yun-Ling Hsu, President of the World Piano Teachers Association, and currently trains with Dr. Heidi Louise Williams, Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at FSU. Dylan has performed with ensembles such as the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra, Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, Space Coast Wind Ensemble, and Melbourne Community Orchestra. He has contributed to numerous world premieres of solo and orchestral works and appeared as a concerto soloist with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra (Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F) and the Melbourne Community Orchestra (Rhapsody in Blue and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor). Dylan was nominated for the Irene Muir Piano Award in the 2022 Federation of Music Clubs Competition. In 2024, he earned second prize at FSU’s XVI Annual Competitive Festival, second prize at the William Byrd Piano Ensemble Competition, and first prize at the Charleston International Competition for his performance of William Bolcom’s The Serpent’s Kiss. This year, he won first prize at FSU’s XV Annual Competitive Festival and the X Steinway Gulf Coast Competition. He will make his Carnegie Hall debut this summer.

Philip King is an active bass-baritone, pianist, composer, and conductor. He studied voice and piano performance at Drake University with Bruce Perry, Edward Corpus, and Nicholas Roth. Philip has appeared on stage and served as music director for more than one hundred regional music theatre productions. Highlights include Once on This Island, Avenue Q, Kinky Boots, Titanic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Million Dollar Quartet.

In addition to theatrical work, Mr. King has appeared in concert with the Orlando Philharmonic, the Festival Singers of Florida, Gloria Musicae (Choral Artists of Sarasota), Encore! Cast Performing Arts, the Fort Doge Choral Society, and the Des Moines Metro Opera. He currently serves as the Director of Music at Hope Presbyterian Church in Winter Haven, where he also maintains a private teaching studio, and is proud to serve as the Conductor of the Theatre Winter Haven Community Choir.

Jean is a Brevard County native, born in Rockledge.    She began studying piano under the tutelage of Connie Trainor, with whom she studied from the age of five through high school. During her school years, Jean sang with her family, played handbells, and began playing the flute, but piano was still her first love. By age fifteen, she was the accompanist for the Titusville High School Madrigals. As a junior, she attended the All State Convention as a member of the sight-reading choir, which was comprised of all the top sight-readers in the state of Florida. Very active in the Titusville High band program as well, she participated in All-County Band and Orchestra as well as attended various solo and ensemble festivals, performing solos on piano and flute. She received the John Philip Sousa award for her work in the instrumental program and the Frederic Chopin award for her work as a student accompanist during her time at Titusville High School. Upon her graduation, she attended The Florida State University where she minored in music while pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film from the School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts. In the past twenty-five years, Jean has earned a reputation for excellence as a collaborative pianist working with Brevard County public school choirs and soloists, band and orchestra students, and theatrical productions at the Cocoa Village Playhouse, Titusville Playhouse, and the Henegar Center. In 2016, she had the privilege of playing keyboard at The Dr. Philips Center in Orlandofor the National Tour of “Wicked.” She is the principal pianist and keyboardist of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra and has worked with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Central Florida Winds, Orlando Light Opera, Opera del Sol, and Central Florida Vocal Arts. Jean is also the accompanist for the Brevard Chorale at Eastern Florida State College.