Eric was born and raised in Rotterdam, NY.  He attended The College of Saint Rose where he received a Music Education degree with a minor in Jazz Studies.  During that time, Eric performed with the Alex Torres Latin Orchestra and the Joey Thomas Big Band.  Eric was also selected as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra which is made up of the top collegiate musicians on the East Coast.  The band was made up of students from New School, Manhattan School of Music, Berklee and many others.

 

Upon graduation, Eric worked for Princess Cruise Lines as a Woodwind Specialist, performing with world class musicians throughout the South Pacific, South East Asia and Japan.  When he returned to the states, he moved to New York City where he taught and performed for several years.

 

Eric is now living back upstate and is the Elementary Band Director at North Colonie Central Schools and teaches privately at Blue Sky Music Studios.  In addition to his teaching, he can be seen all over the Albany area performing mainly with Ten Most Wanted, but also as a sideman in various groups and leading his own quartet and trio.  

 

Eric has been composing for many years.  The group's sound is a culmination of those many years and contains a wide array of influences.  The Eric Ciarmello Quartet is made up of Eric Ciarmello on tenor saxophone, Kevin Carey on piano, Brad Monkell on upright bass and Matt Neidbalski on drums, performing mostly original music with a mix of modern jazz tunes and standards.  The group will be recording their debut album later this year!