Aidan A. Fisher's Bio

Aidan began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 at Sequoia Middle School in Pleasant Hill, California.  Under the tutelage of renowned musician Eric Thompson, Aidan fell in love with jazz music and the saxophone.  Upon graduating from Sequoia in 2020, Aidan received the John Phillip Sousa Award, which is given to the top music student in the graduating class. 

Aidan continued his musical journey at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, California.  Under the direction of Roberto Garcia-Leiva, Northgate has developed one of the finest high school music programs in California.  Upon entering Northgate, Aidan joined Northgate Marching Band.  The Northgate Marching Band is well-known for its entertaining performances at football games and has also recently won prizes at the Santa Cruz, Foothill, and Delta marching band competitions.  Every September, the Northgate Marching Band participates in a grueling “March-a-thon” through the neighborhood in Walnut Creek to raise money for Northgate’s music programs. 

Aidan has also been a member of Northgate’s award-winning jazz program throughout his time at the school.  As a sophomore, Aidan was selected as the lead alto saxophone for Jazz Band 2.  Aidan was also appointed section leader for the Jazz Band 2 saxophones.  This required Aidan to organize and manage weekly practice sessions.  As a junior, Aidan was the lead tenor for Honors Jazz Band 1.  Aidan also served as a teaching assistant for Jazz Band 2 and learned to play the drums to help alleviate a percussion shortage. 

In recent years, the Northgate jazz program has won awards at numerous festivals including the Live Performing Arts Academy (“LPAA”) California Jazz Championships,  the Folsom Jazz Festival , the Campana Jazz Festival and the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival.  Aidan and the Northgate jazz bands have also had the honor of playing at the world famous Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland and the Berkeley Hillside Club with the California Jazz Conservatory.

As a sophomore, Aidan started a community service project to collect musical instruments for schools that could not afford to provide instruments to their students.  Aidan’s project attracted attention throughout the Bay Area and was featured on the local CBS news.  Aidan collected 40 instruments that were given to schools throughout the area. 

For three years, Aidan has also been a member of the multi-generational Big Band of Rossmoor, which includes musicians under the age of 18 and over the age of 65.  The Big Band of Rossmoor plays concerts throughout the year including its well-known Generations in Jazz Festival and its annual performance at the Lafayette Rotary’s Festival at the Res.  Aidan has been honored to perform in the Big Band of Rossmoor under the direction of Greg Brown and Mo Levitch.    

Aidan has also participated in summer jazz programs at UCLA and Stanford as well as the Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Workshop.  In 2023, Aidan also performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Jazz Camp where he was taught by Gerald Clayton, who is the Musical Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival and has been nominated for four Grammy awards.  Aidan’s growth as a musician has been fostered by two exceptional teachers: the legendary Mary Fettig and the incredibly talented Jeff Brown.   Aidan has also studied piano with an exceptional teacher, Ginny Blair. In addition to the alto and tenor saxophone, Aidan is also proficient in the drums, flute, and piano.