Our Musicians
Learn more about the individual musicians that make up the Zephyr Brass Collective.
Ben Fausch
Spanning over 20 years across a wide range of musical styles, groups, and audiences, Ben has delighted many with his unique approach to the instrument. Originally from Fort Collins, CO, where he studied from a young age under Bob Brewer, Ben earned a Bachelor's in Music Performance in 2008, studying under Carson McTeer and Michael Dunn.
Since 2005, Ben has performed extensively throughout the Colorado music scene. He served as arranger and tubist for the cosmopolitan vaudeville group Ukulele Loki's Gadabout Orchestra, where he shared the stage with Devotchka, Gogol Bordello, The Dresden Dolls, and the Yard Dogs Roadshow until 2009. From 2010 to 2022, he played with the Gora Gora Orkestar as tubist and arranger, performing at events such as TedX MileHi, activist events with the FloBots, numerous Balkan and Klezmer gatherings, the True/False Film Fest, and HONK festivals in Boston, Austin, Seattle, and NYC. He also shared the stage with many renowned artists, including Nathaniel Rateliff, Ozomatli, and Amanda Palmer. Between 2019 and 2022, he led the underground hip-hop group Brass&Gold Society, a band featuring many prominent figures in the Denver jazz and hip-hop scenes.
In addition to his long-term commitments, Ben has performed with a variety of groups over the years, including the Colorado Symphony Brass Quintet, Colorado Wind Ensemble, Colorado College Summer Arts Festival Orchestra, Denver Young Artists Orchestra, Longmont Symphony, Hungry March Band, Mile High Brass Band, Guerrilla Fanfare, Badda Boom Brass Band, Jim Stranahan's Little Big Band, and the Otone Brass Band.
Amanda Hernandez
Amanda Hernandez is a Denver-based French horn artist who is a founding member of Zephyr Brass Collective, blending her experience in classical performance, music education, and the marching arts. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, she studied with internationally renowned horn soloist J.D. Shaw.
Her performance background includes notable roles with respected drum and bugle corps, including as the mellophone soloist for Bluecoats in 2011. She later transitioned into instructional positions with ensembles such as the Santa Clara Vanguard, and the Troopers. She now serves on the brass staff for the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps, bringing her expertise and passion for musical excellence to the next generation of performers.
As a music educator, Amanda specialized in developing Spanish-language elementary music curricula that deliver culturally authentic and responsible musical experiences. Her work has been instrumental in shaping innovative programs in El Paso, TX, where she established the city’s first homogeneous beginning band program, the first immersion dual-language elementary music program, and the first elementary fine arts academy. In addition to her work in elementary education, she is a sought-after clinician for high school programs across the Southwest, helping students strengthen brass musicianship, ensemble skills, and confidence as performers.
Outside of music, Amanda has been active in community service, including her time with the Junior League of El Paso, where she served on its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. In her free time, she enjoys competitive archery, baking, camping in her rooftop tent, and chasing squirrels with her shepherd mix, Ramona.
John Pirillo
John Pirillo is an accomplished trumpet artist and educator based in Fort Collins, Colorado. With a strong academic foundation—holding a Bachelor of Music from Florida Southern College and a Master’s from Colorado State University—John has studied with Don McLaurin, Stanley Curtis, and Justin Bartels.
John is a founding member of Zephyr Brass Collective, and is a fixture on the Colorado music scene, known for his versatility as a trumpet player. John serves as the principal cornet of Colorado Brass, and principal of Fort Collins Wind Symphony. John has also performed with the Fort Collins Symphony, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony, Longmont Symphony, Boulder Dinner Theater, Neue Polka, and Hand Turkey. John has won awards with Colorado Versatile Brass, a 10 piece ensemble that has competed at NABBA Championships (North American Brass Band Association).
As an educator, John is passionate about guiding the next generation of trumpet players. He offers tailored lessons both locally and online, with a student-first philosophy that emphasizes personal artistry and musical growth. With roots deeply embedded in his Fort Collins community, John Pirillo continues to make a vibrant mark as a performer, collaborator, and mentor.
Joe Smith is an award-winning Denver-based trumpeter, bandleader, producer, and educator whose career bridges classical, chamber, and jazz traditions. Introduced to music through piano before focusing on trumpet, he was mentored by jazz artists Brad Goode, Jeff Barnhart, Dan Barrett, and Hal Smith, as well as classical pedagogues Dr. Amy Schendel and Phil Hembree. He holds a BA in Music from the University of Iowa and is recognized as a versatile, genre-spanning artist.
Joe performs across a wide range of classical settings, from orchestral and British brass band repertoire to chamber music. He is a founding member and Artistic Director of Zephyr Brass Collective, a touring brass quintet committed to commissioning new works and reimagining contemporary and popular repertoire. In 2024 and 2025, Joe founded and led a brass quintet that earned consecutive First Place finishes in the Small Ensemble Division at the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Championships.
On the jazz stage, Joe is known for his stylistic fluency in traditional jazz, swing, and early jump blues. He has led all-star big bands at festivals across the United States and has performed with artists including Bria Skonberg, Bobby Floyd, Danny Coots, Brad Goode, Jeff Barnhart, Aaron Johnson, and Miss Tammy Savoy, among others.
In 2013, Joe founded The Spicy Pickles, a Denver-based ensemble blending swing, jump blues, funk, and soul. The group has released six full-length albums and multiple EPs, with original music featured in global advertising campaigns for UPS, LeoVegas, and Visit Seattle, as well as in the feature film The Killing of a Sacred Deer (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos). Touring coast to coast for over a decade, the band has performed in more than 35 states, including appearances at the Telluride Jazz Festival, Vail Jazz Festival, and San Diego Jazz Festival.
A dedicated educator, Joe has presented clinics and lectures at the University of Colorado Denver, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Iowa, University of Wyoming, and national festivals. He has also created educational content for BAC Musical Instruments. His producing and music direction work includes a five-year tenure as Music Director of the Denver Jazz Festival and advisory roles with the Evergreen Jazz Festival.
Joe is a performing artist for BAC Trumpets and Denis Wick Mouthpieces and Mutes. He plays on a BAC Plaza Bb trumpet. He is also a staff photographer for the International Trumpet Guild Conference. Outside of music, he enjoys motorcycling, cooking for friends, and life with his whippet, Butter.
Joe Smith
Recognized for his “versatile, intuitive musicianship” and “prescient analysis,” Ryan Sargent is equally at home as a trombonist, educator, and scholar.
Ryan’s trombone playing developed under the tutelage of Cathy Cole and Ron Wilkins before he attended Baylor University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in trombone performance and studied with Brent Phillips and Alex Parker. He did graduate work in both jazz performance and musicology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, studying trombone with Allen Hermann, composition with Art Lande, semiotics and music theory with Steven Bruns and Keith Waters, and American music history with Thomas Riis.
As an in-demand session and freelance player, Ryan regularly performs across Colorado with ensembles of all shapes and sizes and delights in adapting to new repertoire and styles on each gig. He cofounded the funk cover band Honeycomb, has backed up Miami salsa legend Tony Vega, performed with brass quintets across the state, and plays small and large format jazz with some of Denver’s finest musicians.
Ryan’s passion for music education led to a board position as Vice President of the national non-profit organization Technology In Music Education from 2017-2020. He has presented multiple sessions at the Midwest Clinic, TMEA, The NAMM Show, the International Music Education Summit and more than a dozen other music educator conferences across the country from Colorado to Ohio. He has coached low brass students to Texas All-State band honors as well as given clinics and masterclasses for student jazz ensembles up and down the Front Range.
As a scholar, Ryan has held adjunct faculty positions at both CU Boulder and Metro State (Denver), where he helped redevelop the curricula and syllabi for teaching history of jazz, rock, pop, and hip hop. His peer-reviewed research has been presented at the American Musicological Society and the inaugural Billy Joel Conference.
A Colorado resident for nearly 20 years, Ryan was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Seattle, Washington and San Antonio, Texas.
Ryan Sargent
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