Jon Gross began playing the tuba when he was 9 years old. A scholarship to Loyola University’s College of Music landed him in New Orleans where he currently makes a living playing with several different bands and as a freelance tuba player.  He is passionate about educating others on New Orleans’ rich musical heritage while doing his part to preserve and promote New Orleans traditional music.

“On my first night there, my attention became focused on a lizard that was hanging by the studio door. I was intrigued by his little ribcage expanding and contracting… I let myself get lost in the rhythm of his breathing. Only then did I realize that his breathing was completely in sync with the sounds of the frogs and insects in the woods. It was the same rhythm. When the sounds sped up, so did his breathing rate… One rhythm for thousands of creatures! They aren’t worrying about the human condition… or bills… or ANY of the complex thought patterns that we as humans drown ourselves in daily. They are simply feeling the rhythm of their surroundings and priding themselves on belonging and doing what it takes to be a part of their ecosystem. Because of them and A Studio in the Woods, I have learned that even complex times have a simplicity within them… it’s just up to me to find that simplicity and embrace it just as the animals embrace the simplicity of their world.” – Jon Gross