Staff
SEAN GAISER
Founder
When Sean founded GIGS in 2006, he was the sole teacher. Since then, he is proud to have assembled a staff of wonderful and creative individuals. In 2008, Sean joined the faculties of Mater Dei and Georgetown Prep, and has run their music program and recording studio (respectively) ever since. You can find Sean at GIGS every day, teaching classes in the Workshop and booking and producing Courtyard shows.
www.seangaiser.com
OLIVIA BELL
General Manager
Olivia’s passion for live music and event production led her to GIGS in 2015 after graduating from American University. She is responsible for managing all of GIGS’ day to day operations - from scheduling lessons in the Academy & Workshop, to co-producing large-scale galas and festivals. Olivia is proud to know every single name & face in the GIGS community!
OWEN ALMONEY
Teacher
Ever since he can remember, Owen has always had a passion for music, constantly looking for new bands to listen to on the family computer and exploring new genres. In high school, he began learning guitar and played classically in his high school ensemble. Since then, Owen has studied music and other instruments at Montgomery College. Owen's goal is to not only teach his students how to play their instrument, but also how to channel their passion into creativity. He teaches guitar, bass, drums, piano, and ukulele.
ZACH BEARDSLEY
Teacher
Throughout middle school and high school, Zach participated in multiple musicals, but his true love for music started when he first picked up a guitar in high school. He immediately connected with it and dedicated all the time he had to practicing and learning. Zach was in the jazz ensemble in college and played numerous shows with them. Throughout the years, he also took on learning other instruments like piano, bass, ukulele and drums.
JOSE BELLOSO
Teacher
Jose has loved music since he was a child growing up in El Salvador. He came to the US when he was 13 years old and is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biology from MCC. Jose has always believed that all people have something to learn AND teach, and is excited to share his knowledge of the guitar and piano with students who want to learn and have fun.
ERIK BROWN
Teacher
Erik grew up in a very musical family, learning violin and singing in the choir for most of his life. In school, he participated in musical theatre and orchestra, and eventually picked up more instruments, branching out from classical violin to jazz bass and guitar. He is currently attending Montgomery College to study music composition. Erik teaches voice, guitar, piano, bass, drums, and ukulele.
GARETH GRAHAM
Teacher
Gareth is a Kensington local who learned guitar as a kid right here at GIGS, nearly ten years ago! He’s gone on to play in many different bands over the years and has studied music theory extensively. He is currently enrolled at MCC, pursuing a degree in music. Gareth teaches guitar, drums, bass, piano, and ukulele.
ANDREW NIXON
Teacher
Andrew has a lifelong passion for music and loves to share that passion with his students. He got his first guitar at 11 and has picked up bass, piano and vocals along the way. In addition to teaching at GIGS, he also plays bass for The Missing Peace, a DC-based independent rock band.
JAKE SIMPSON
Teacher/Event Producer
Jake has been with GIGS since the end of 2017, a few months after he graduated college as a music major. He is now a multi-instrumentalist who teaches guitar, bass, voice, drums, piano, and ukulele! When Jake is not teaching, he can be found running sessions in the Georgetown Prep recording studio, helping GIGS with event production and live sound, transcribing songs for GIGS' extensive music library, and playing shows around the D.C. area.
OLAVI TAKALA
Teacher
Olavi has loved performing, learning, and composing music since he was a child growing up in Wheaton, MD. His dad bought him a small light up keyboard when he was 4 years old, and since then, he has studied Jazz Piano Performance at both Montgomery College and Towson University. He has also started and been a part of many bands along the way. He loves sharing the joy of music-making with others through teaching, jamming, and performing as much as possible, so don't be afraid to ask him any questions about music!
OWEN WALSH
Teacher
Owen returns to GIGS as a teacher after learning drums and guitar here for many years, since he was a little kid! He is excited to continue passing down the joy of playing to new students. Owen went on to sing in the university choir at Sewanee in Tennessee, where he studied mathematics and continued his passion for drumming. Owen believes that the key to playing well is developing his students' ability to improvise and to have fun while doing it. He teaches drums, guitar, and piano at GIGS.
CLAIRE WESTON
Teacher
Claire is a Kensington local who has been learning and playing piano since she was a kid, both in lessons at GIGS and with her dad at home. Her dad taught her to learn by ear from a young age! Claire, who loves to learn about learning new music, is currently a senior at Walter Johnson High school and teaches piano and ukulele at GIGS.