Matt Hurley – Show Coordinator
Matt Hurley will be returning to the Caballeros in his role of Show Coordinator. This will be Matt’s 7th year in this role.
Matt brings with him a wealth of Drum Corps experience, having marched in DCA corps from the time he was 15. Matt’s Drum Corps marching experience started way back in 1979 when he became a member of the Bayonne Bridgemen’s feeder corps, The Bayonne Kidets. He went on to also march with the Bayonne Bridgemen, The New York Skyliners, and the Sunrisers.
Matt also has been very active in the indoor color guard world. He has performed with the Bayonne Kidets, Conquest Color Guard, and The Emerald Marquis. He is currently the Program Coordinator for the AMP Indoor Color Guard Organization. Prior to his role at AMP, he was also the operations manager with The Black Watch Independent World color guard for 12 years.
Matt has designed and instructed many NJ/PA high school marching bands throughout the years. According to Matt, “Way too many to list them all!”
According to Matt “Each and every year at the Caballeros brings its own unique experience and excitement.”
Jeffrey Chambers – Brass Arranger
Born in Issaquah, Washington in 1990, Jeff Chambers grew up in eastern Washington and now composes and arranges music that is played and heard around the world. He studied composition with Dan Bukvich and Robert Dickow at the University of Idaho and has since made a full-time career in music composition. He specializes in music for the marching arts and music for film and media while constantly expanding to other genres. His music is frequently noted as fresh and exciting and in 2013, one of his arrangements was recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine as a “Mind-Blowing Cover”. He has won numerous film score awards around the world and is actively collaborating with composer and playwright Jesse Sanchez on the music for two new musicals in New York City and Tucson, Arizona.
To date, Jeff has composed and arranged over 100 new marching band shows and has received national recognition as a prominent and emerging marching band designer. His shows have competed at all levels of BOA, USBands, Tournament of Bands and Texas UIL. Every year over 100 marching bands across the country perform his music, approximately 15 of which perform new commissions. He currently serves as the lead music composer and arranger for the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps, and previously held the same role with the Eruption Indoor Percussion Ensemble. His work is published through Marching Show Concepts and on his site, www.jeffchambersmusic.net. His work in the world of film, theatre and media can be heard on his site, www.jeffchamberscomposer.com.
Jeff currently lives in Puyallup, Washington with his wife Karissa, daughter Oakley and their two spoiled pups.
Cliff Bialkin – Co-Brass Arranger
Mr. Bialkin recently retired after celebrating his 32nd year as the Director of Bands at Ramsey High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. His responsibilities included directing the award-winning Ramsey High School Jazz Ensemble, the “Big Blue” Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Pit Orchestra, as well as supervising and working with all competing groups in the department including the Winter Guard and Percussion Ensemble. He arranged and collaborated on music performed by all the bands and ensembles on a regular basis. Under his leadership the groups routinely received top honors in competition and performances both domestically and internationally. The RHS Jazz Ensemble had been a consistent finalist at IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) festivals, as well as many contests and festivals throughout the Tri-State area. Under his direction, the Ramsey High School Wind Ensemble garnered many superior and gold ratings at state, domestic, and international festivals. In 2019 Mr. Bialkin conducted the Music Educators of Bergen County Incorporated (MEBCI) Honors Band. In 2010, Mr. Bialkin was selected to be the guest conductor of the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) Western Division Jazz Ensemble. In 2003, the Ramsey Jazz Ensemble was selected to be a guest of the Japanese government and the sole representative of the United States at the “All Japan Cultural Arts Festival” held in Fukui, Japan. During his tenure at Ramsey, the Marching Band and Jazz Ensembles traveled to London, England, Paris, France, and Rome Italy to participate in the New Year’s Day Parades and festivals.
Mr. Bialkin was a founding member of the Musical Arts Conference (MAC), and was on the executive board since the inception of the association, serving in many roles including Vice President and President.
Currently, Mr. Bialkin is working with Marching Show Concepts (MSC) as a custom show designer, writer and production coordinator. Mr. Bialkin is a consultant for Youth Music of The World (YMOTW) and often serves as a clinician/judge for bands in and around the New York metropolitan area, as well as internationally. He is a member of the Conn Selmer VIP program, and is also the assistant coordinator for Tournament of Bands (TOB) Region10.
Mr. Bialkin has been actively teaching in the drum corps world since 1996. In 2003 he joined the staff at Hawthorne Caballeros for their championship run. Since then he has been teaching, designing, programing, coordinating and consulting multiple all age, and junior drum and bugle corps. Mr. Bialkin has a full private studio of low brass players, and is a freelance trombonist in the NY/NJ Metropolitan area.
Mr. Bialkin currently resides in Ramsey, New Jersey with his wife Sabrina, a teacher in the Wayne Township Public Schools in Wayne New Jersey, and his 23-year-old son Joshua, who is a Trumpet player attending Yale School of Music as a Masters of Music Performance Candidate.
Matt Penland – Percussion Arranger
Matt Penland is a percussion performer, educator, and composer based out of Washington, D.C. where he is a percussionist in the U.S. Air Force Band. He arranges for several marching percussion groups across the country and is also on the instructional staff for The Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps and the George Mason University Indoor Drumline.
Matt holds music degrees from the University of North Texas and Northwestern University. His teachers included Paul Rennick, She-e Wu, Christopher Lamb, Vadim Karpinos, James Ross, Christopher Deane, and Mark Ford.
Matt proudly endorses Dynasty, Innovative Percussion and Zildjian products.
Justin McAdams – Drill Writer
Justin McAdams is excited to return to the Hawthorne Caballeros staff as their visual designer for the 2022 season. Justin is a former Bushwackers drum major. He is the band director and performing arts coordinator for the Phoenixville Area School District in southeastern Pennsylvania. He has a masters degree in wind band conducting from West Chester University and has over 20 years of teaching experience with the nationally recognized George N. Parks Drum Major Academy in which he is also a lead clinician. Justin is also currently the Vice President for Cavalcade of Bands.
Justin has been designing and instructing programs at high school, collegiate, drum corps, and winter percussion levels throughout the country for over 20 years.
