Roger is the Co-Founder of the Chicago Brass Band. He started playing trombone, baritone and piano at the age of nine. In High School he was a member of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, and when he graduated, he received awards for Best Male Instrumentalist, Best Male Vocalist, and Best Male Actor. He completed his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he majored in Music Theory, and minored in Theory and Brass Performance. As a freshman, he was accepted into the University Wind Ensemble, where he remained as bass trombonist for four years. In the jazz band, he also doubled on tuba. He was a graduate assistant, teaching music theory, and was the founder of the Music Students Advisory Council. He is also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity. After college, Roger moved to Chicago, where he joined a Renaissance Consort for a year, playing sackbut, recorder, crumhorn, and voice. He then took a break from music, and was employed as a printed circuit designer, and later, integrated circuit designer. He returned to music in 1992, and joined the Crystal Lake Community Band, where he has been a featured soloist on trombone and euphonium. In 1996 he learned about brass bands on the internet, and looking for a more challenging ensemble, decided to start a new brass band. He founded the Prairie Brass Band on his own in 1997, which saw steady growth since its founding, winning the Challenge Section in its first year, and the Honors Section at the NABBA contest in 2002. In PBB, Roger played tenor horn, tenor trombone, bass trombone, and Eb Bass. He was also a member of the Prairie Brass Quintet, which won numerous awards at NABBA small ensemble contests. Roger is now self-employed as a piano technician, low brass private instructor and performer. He performs in various brass quartets and quintets, the Crystal Lake Community Band, the McHenry City Band (a “big band”), the Bristol Renaissance Faire, and in orchestras and musical theater productions. He looks forward to more musical growth through the Chicago Brass Band, and is extremely proud to be a co-founder of the band.