Design Team

Adam Tharp is currently the Director of Bands at Innovation High School in Orlando, Florida, the newest high school within Orange County Public Schools. In this role, Adam continues to apply his passion for music education, building the band program from the ground up while working to guide students through their musical journeys.

Prior to joining Innovation High School, Adam served as the Director of Bands at Space Coast Jr/Sr High School in Port St. John, Florida, from 2019 to 2024. During his tenure, his focus on recruitment and retention allowed enrollment to nearly double, with the 5 of his 6 ensembles participating in the Florida Bandmasters Association’s Music Performance Assessments (MPA).

Outside of the classroom, Adam directed the pit orchestra for the Brevard Public Schools Summer Fine Arts Program for three summers, from 2022 to 2024. Additionally, he has participated in ensembles across Brevard county, currently playing trombone in a brass quintet made up of educators from across Brevard and Orange counties.

Prior to moving to Florida, Adam was a member of Fusion Core as a Drum Major from 2014 to 2016 and served on the brass staff of the Cadets2 for the 2017 season. He is excited to return to the organization that started his drum corps career and help bring drum corps back to Florida!

Mike Marino has over 20 years of experience as a percussionist, educator, and 

composer. He marched in the University of Florida Drumline from 1997-1999, and the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps in 2000, returning in 2024 with the Crossmen Alumni Corps.

From 1998-2016, Mike taught and/or wrote for multiple high school drumlines 

throughout the state of Florida, earning multiple percussion titles and state FMBC 

championships. He also spent six seasons with Infinity Percussion, serving as Battery Coordinator (2008-2010) and later as Co-Ensemble Director, Music Arranger (battery and front ensemble), and Sound Designer (2011-2013). He was the Battery Arranger for Infinity 3 from 2016 to 2017, earning a WGI PIA Silver Medal in 2016. In 2018, he worked with RPT Percussion as the Battery Arranger, and from 2019-2020, he was a Show Design Consultant for Unity Percussion, where the ensemble won a WGI PIA Gold Medal in 2019.

For nearly two decades, Mike has been a full-time musician throughout the Walt Disney World theme parks as well as Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, and SeaWorld San Antonio. During this time, he’s been a part of multiple Disney recording sessions for various projects used around the world. He’s also assisted with show and music creation for various theme park shows, one of those shows receiving a 2019 Brass Ring Award for Best Atmosphere/Street Show Performance from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).

Outside of the marching percussion world, Mike regularly writes for numerous 

production music libraries. His music has earned thousands of placements across 

hundreds of shows and sporting events around the world. His credits include: ABC, 

CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, MTV, Discovery, Bravo, BBC One, NFL Network, 

Netflix, and many more.

Mike is a member of Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI), the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), and is part of the Vic Firth Education Team as a Marching Percussion Specialist. He currently resides in Orlando, FL with his wife and children.

Chris Creswell is a versatile trombonist, composer/arranger, visual designer, and educator based in Jacksonville, FL. Since 2001, he has composed and arranged extensively for marching ensembles across the United States including numerous state champions, WGI champions, BOA regional finalists, and a USBands National Champion.

Chris serves as Artist in Residence and Associate Director of Bands at Jacksonville University, where he directs the Marching Band, Jazz Orchestra, and coordinates music education. He also remains active as a professional trombonist performing for jazz and corporate bands across the southeast. 

Chris holds degrees from the University of North Florida, The Manhattan School of Music, and is currently ABD for a DMA in Music Education at Boston University.

More info coming soon!

Bio Coming Soon

Evan Black has established himself as a seasoned instructor, director, and choreographer in the realm of color guard with over a decade of experience,. His performance credentials include: Englewood High School Regional A 2009, Fahrenheit A 2010, Fahrenheit World 2011, The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps 2012, Orlando Visual World 2014, Orlando Visual Open 2015, Atlanta CV Drum and Bugle Corps 2019 & 2025, Pegasus World 2021, and Tampa Independent World 2023.

By combining various educational approaches, Evan has crafted his own distinctive teaching techniques . His ultimate goal is to create sophisticated educational strategies that broaden performers' experiences within the activity.

Evan is excited about being part of Fusion Core as they enter their second season in Florida.