Ukulele Faculty

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.”

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.