Guitar Faculty
James flood
James Flood is the founder and director of Westlake Music Academy. He has taught guitar for over 30 years at numerous institutions including Morgan State University, Gettysburg College, and his own James Flood Guitar Lessons where students have been known to come from Akron and Canton to Cleveland for weekly lessons.
James received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in guitar performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where for his master’s he studied under the world-renowned Manuel Barrueco. He also studied under Ray Chester for his bachelor’s and privately with David Tanenbaum and Julian Gray, among others. He has given performances in Maryland, California, Ohio, and West Virginia. In high school, he was selected to perform the second movement of Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. James has extensive experience as a choral conductor. He was Director of the Lyceum Schola Cantorum from 2009 to 2017 and Director of Music at St. Clement Parish in Lakewood from 2008 to 2021. He is currently the director of the Cleveland Guitar Orchestra.
James works with all levels in both classical and non-classical styles and emphasizes a foundation in sound guitar technique. He works with intermediate and advanced students on refinement of technique, interpretation, and overall musicality. In 1999 he received a grant from Gettysburg College to further more ergonomically correct classical guitar technique. His technique largely consists of efficiency of position and movement and minimizing tension.
Christopher Ellicott
Christopher Ellicott is a graduate of the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory where he earned his bachelor’s in guitar performance studying under Dr. Loris Chobanian. He was active for many summers as a participant in the Classical Guitar Workshop at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory and has also attended the Guitar Hamilton Program in Ontario, Canada.
For over 30 years Christopher has taught students of all ages and abilities in classical, folk, and rock on guitar, ukulele. He has served on the faculty of Lorain County Community College and at the Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School. He provides an individual approach with each student to best serve their musical goals.
Christopher performs frequently throughout the Cleveland area as a soloist as well as in the duo Sunday in the Park with his wife Karen (clarinetist), and he is a member of the Cleveland Guitar Orchestra. In 2016 he gave the world premiere of Variations on an Israeli Theme for Two Guitars and Orchestra by Loris Chobanian at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Joe Bonsignore
Joe Bonsignore began performing in his hometown of Long Island, NY at the age of fourteen, playing gigs in and around New York City, culminating in a sold-out performance at The Limelight when he was eighteen. His first record deal came at the age of nineteen when he signed with Amethyst Records. He later signed with Antithesis Records and finally signed with Esquire Records for The Best of Cleveland Blues compilation.
Joe has both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in jazz guitar performance from Cleveland State University (CSU). While attending CSU, he was awarded Cleveland’s Playhouse Scholarship. He also has an Associate of Applied Science in Jazz Commercial Music from Five Town College in Long Island.
Joe has been teaching guitar for 34 years and is Professor of Music at Cuyahoga Community College, a post he has held for 12 years. Recently, he was awarded the college’s most prestigious award for excellence in teaching, The Ralph M. Besse Award. His playing and teaching repertoire includes numerous styles. In addition to jazz, he teaches blues, rock, and country. Joe also teaches ukulele and 5-string banjo.
Currently, he works with a regionally touring band on the black-tie circuit. He has opened shows in the Cleveland area for such legendary greats as Robert Lockwood Jr., John Hammond, David Lindley, Leon Russell, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, Dickey Betts (from the Allman Brothers), Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King, and Devon Allman from Honey Tribe. He appeared on the FOX 8 Morning Show and performed multiple times at Cain Park’s amphitheater and main stage.
john karkosiak
John Karkosiak has his bachelor’s of music in jazz guitar from the Jackie McLean Institute at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, where he studied under hard bop style guitarist Richard Goldstein. He also studied extensively under international touring and recording artist Dan Wilson at Cuyahoga Community College.
John is part of the applied guitar faculty at Cleveland State University. He teaches with a heavy emphasis on ear training, applied music theory, fretboard visualization, improvisation, and creative practicing.
John frequently performs in the northeast Ohio region in venues such as Mahall’s, Bop Stop, Brothers Lounge, and Lock 3. He has played frequently with composer Buck McDaniel and Jacob Kirkwood including at Cleveland’s new music festival, NEOsonic Fest. He is also a former member of Akron-based funk/fusion band Acid Cats which performed locally and across the east coast. In 2019, he led his own band and performed a set of original compositions at Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival. He recently worked as the mastering engineer on trumpeter/composer Tommy Lehman’s new album through his own music production project “Landfish.”
Adam Keeler
Adam Keeler has his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical guitar performance from the University of Akron. He also studied in France under finger-style virtuoso, Pierre Bensusan. Adam has been teaching guitar for over 20 years in a variety of styles, including classical, rock, and fingerstyle. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Guitar at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
Adam has toured with Seth Horan and Enter the Worship Circle and has also performed with Helen Welch. He was a finalist in the James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition two years in a row from 2009-2010 and was awarded the Outstanding Guitarist of the Year for two years in The University of Akron's Bachelor of Music program. He released his own CD, The Rest of Angels in 2002. He has scored games and documentaries and has remixed tracks with synthwave artist Syst3m Glitch.
Tom Ray
Tom received his bachelor’s degree in classical guitar performance from Baldwin Wallace University (BW), studying under Dr. Loris Chobanian; he has his master’s degree in classical guitar at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Jason Vieaux and Colin Davin. His musical influences and teaching styles cover a broad cross-section, including shred, classical, blues, jazz, rock, fingerstyle, and more.
Tom has taught guitar, bass, ukulele, songwriting, and theory to students of all ages for more than 15 years in Cleveland at Aurora School of Music, in New York City at Encore Music Lessons and Music, Dance & Art School of Douglaston, and in New Jersey at Believe in Music Studio. While in Austin, he was hired to take over a well-established studio at Don’t Stop Rockin’ and helped the studio expand while participating in rock and roll camps designed to give young musicians real-world experience in the field of music performance.
Tom has performed in many different settings including performing Concerto for Electric Guitar, which was composed for him by Dr. Chobanian. He has also performed at the Lincoln Center in New York City, played the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, and has performed in over 50 pit orchestras. Since returning to Cleveland after a decade away, Tom has performed in the pit for Kinky Boots at BW, performs weekly as a jazz duo with his wife at District in Playhouse Square, and has performed at The Cleveland Museum of Art.