Faculty & Staff

• Dr. Lauren Gates
  

  Director of Marching and Athletic Bandslauren.n.gates@stonybrook.eduBiography

  Dr. Gates serves as the Director of Athletic Bands at Stony Brook University, where she leads the Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Band and Pep Bands. She is an active conductor, educator, arranger, and clinician, and a strong advocate of contemporary music for wind band written by underrepresented composers. 

  Prior to her appointment at Stony Brook, Dr. Gates served as the Assistant Director of Bands at the University of South Florida, where she founded and directed the USF Concert Band, led the basketball pep bands, and served as assistant director to the Herd of Thunder Marching Band. At South Florida, she also taught music education courses in conducting and brass and woodwind techniques.

  Dr. Gates holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma and both a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida. Before teaching at the collegiate level, Dr. Gates taught band in grades 4-12 in private and public schools in Miami and Tampa, Florida, and in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

• Dr. Taylor Peterson
  

  Assistant Director of Marching and Athletic Bandstaylor.peterson@stonybrook.eduBiography Dr. Taylor Peterson, currently serving as Interim Director of Athletic Bands, was hired as the first full time Assistant Director of  Marching and Athletic Bands at Stony Brook University where he recently completed his doctorate in trombone performance. Passionate about concert band literature, Dr. Peterson also conducts the University Wind Ensemble. Additionally, he is a freelance trombonist and teacher in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Music at North Dakota State University, where he was a member of the Gold Star Marching Band.
• Michael Ayala
  

  Drumline Instructormichael.ayala@stonybrook.eduBiography Michael Ayala currently serves as Drumline Instructor for the Spirit of Stony Brook. He was previously a member of the Spirit of Stony Brook while attending Stony Brook University as an undergraduate. He served as the Drumline Instructor prior to 2015, before returning to the  program again in 2018.
• Mr. John Leddy
  

  Director of Athletic Bands EmeritusBiography Mr. John Leddy arrived at Stony Brook University in 2006 and is the Founding Director of The Spirit of Stony Brook. Prior to that, he taught music in the Connetquot school district for 33 years where he directed concert band, jazz ensemble, and marching band at all levels. 
• Dr. Miles Cingolani
  

  Drill WriterBiography Dr. Miles Cingolani serves as the Drill Writer and Visual Head for The Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Band at Stony Brook University. He recently completed his doctorate in percussion performance at Stony Brook University and attended James Madison University and Florida State University for his Masters and Bachelors degrees. He currently resides in Philadelphia, PA where he is a freelance percussionist, composer, and music teacher.
• Khesner De Oliveira
  

  Graduate Teaching AssistantBiography Khesner Oliveira is a performing artist and educator based in New York, who maintains an active career in musical performance and artistic collaborations. His background encompasses a wide range of styles from Traditional Brazilian to free improv. He has performed in different places including Europe, United States and all across Brazil, his native country. Khesner has performed with ensembles including Impact(o) percussion group, Atlanta Improvisers Orchestra, KataGata, Sankofa, Música Íntima,  Banda Pequi, Bent Frequency, among others and has given Brazilian premieres of works by composers such John Luther Adams, James Wood, Olivier Messiaen, Helmut Lachenmann, and Michael Pisaro. Khesner holds a Bachelor of Music  in performance from the Universidade Federal de Goiás, a Master of Music in performance at the Georgia State University, and is currently a DMA candidate at Stony Brook University.