Aidan Furlong

Introduction: Low woodwind specialist and composer Aidan Furlong started playing saxophone 12 years ago. He began to expand to the other woodwind instruments while playing in the high school musicals, picking up the other saxophones, bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, and flute. Aidan received his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2018, under the mentorship of Gary Smulyan. While at Mason Gross, he was able to stretch out from the jazz department and compose for electronics and ensembles, join the indie dream-pop outfit halcionne., and develop his skills in various DAWs (particularly Ableton Live). In the NYC area, he studied with the NEA Jazz Master Barry Harris and played in Dr. Harris’s jazz orchestra, all while continuing to marry these seemingly disparate worlds of electronic, folk, and jazz in his own music, and whenever the musical situation is appropriate. Aidan is a recent transplant to the DC area and is quickly making his mark on the music scene. He is an avid educator, bringing his joy of making music at all levels to students. His philosophy is that composing and improvisation can begin with the very first notes the student plays. Music can be fun from the start!