Technical Sergeant Joseph N Adams Staff Sergeant Joseph "Nick" Adams is a native of Anderson, SC. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree (with Honors) in Music Education from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the Mannes College of Music (New School University - NYC). Prior to joining the Band of the Northeast, he served as principal trombonist and operations representative with the United States Air Force Heartland of America Band (Omaha, NE). While there, he performed in over 300 concerts across a seven state region, and in 2006, he was named the unit's Outstanding Airman of the Year. He was also featured as a soloist on two performance tours. As a civilian, Sergeant Adams has performed with orchestras in South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and Nebraska as both tenor and alto trombonist; he has also performed with such notable artists as Olivia Newton-John and Sandy Duncan. Sergeant Adams was selected as Director of Operations in 2012. Sergeant Adams performs on trombone in the Concert Band, Ceremonial Band, and the Brass Tacks (brass quintet).