Design Team
Larkin Sharpe
Creative Director
Larkin Sharpe is the Associate Director of Bands at Mount Dora High School, a position he has held since 2023. Previously, he was Director of Bands at Hialeah Senior High School for six years, where the Marching Band & Color Guard earned six consecutive FMBC State Championship Finalist placements in Classes 1A and 2A. His Wind Orchestra and Concert Jazz Band consistently received Superior ratings.
A Broward County native, Mr. Sharpe attended Walter C. Young Middle School and Charles W. Flanagan High School before earning a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Stetson University. At Stetson, he participated in the University Symphonic Band, Saxophone Quartet, and Pep Band, and was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Mr. Sharpe’s performance credits include the JINSHA Summer Music Festival in Chengdu, China, membership with the Miami Wind Symphony, and two years as Drum Major with the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps, earning silver and gold medals at the DCI World Championships.
In his spare time, he works as a freelance photographer, videographer, and graphic designer, covering events such as weddings, engagements, and national sports.
AJ Vega
Battery Designer
AJ Vega is an Orlando-born percussionist who grew up in the Tampa Bay area. After graduating from Pinellas Park HS in 2015, he joined the US Marines as a Marine Musician and served from 2016 to 2020. After the service, AJ returned to the Tampa Bay area where he began teaching and arranging for multiple local programs. He is currently the Battery Coordinator at Tarpon Springs HS.
AJ is also an active performer, playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers “Buc-Beat” Line, and the Tampa Bay Lightning Drumline. AJ is thrilled to step into the role of Staff Coordinator and returning Battery Coordinator at Siege Percussion. He is looking forward to continuing to build a great culture and educational experience for the students.
Danny Gutierrez
Front Ensemble Designer
Danny Gutierrez is an educator, composer, and marketing professional originally from Orlando and currently based in Chicago. He has been on the education team at the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps since 2019.
His experience also includes teaching with RCC Indoor Percussion, serving as caption head at STRYKE Percussion until 2022, working with Victor J. Andrew High School (two-time world champions), and arranging and teaching for the Blue Stars and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. He is currently the Program Coordinator and Arranger for Hialeah Gardens High School Indoor Percussion. As a performer, Danny marched with Infinity Percussion and the Blue Stars. He holds a degree in Percussion Performance from Rollins College and a master’s in Music Business from Berklee College of Music.
Outside of the marching arts, he brings his creativity and industry expertise to his role in marketing at Shure.
Josh Guttveg
Sound Designer
Josh Guttveg is an arranger, sound designer, and all-around audio specialist, having worked with and designed for numerous groups across the state of Florida and beyond for both indoor percussion and outdoor marching programs. Josh has been involved in the marching arts for over 15 years, assuming multiple responsibilities and positions over the years. He started his indoor marching career with Stryke Percussion, playing synthesizer from 2011 and then 2013-17. In 2013, he also started his DCI career with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps as their assistant conductor for the 2013-14 seasons. Josh would then earn the position of synthesizer with the world championship organization Carolina Crown, spending 2 years with them and aging out in 2016.
After aging out, he returned to Crown as their Audio Intern in 2017, launching his career in marching audio and becoming one of their Audio Engineers in 2018 and Lead Audio Engineer for the 2019 season. He would also return to Stryke Percussion after his age out to become Audio Caption Head for both the World and Open groups from 2018-present, also consulting with the championship-winning ensemble Stryke Winds throughout the years.
Hikari Nitta
Aesthetics/Movement Designer
Hikari is an educator/performer based in Orlando where she currently drums with Matsuriza at Epcot. With an extensive background in dance and colorguard, she has performed with Freedom HS (Orlando), USF Winterguard, the Bluecoats and Swotu Waya Drum Circle at Animal Kingdom. Still very active in the marching arts, she currently teaches Freedom HS and The Bluecoats as well as works as a social media coordinator and Contest Director for FFCC.
Lindsey Schueller
Visual Designer
Lindsey was born and raised in Michigan where she began her pageantry arts career. She went on to perform with Genesis Percussion, Rhythm X, Blue Stars, Bluecoats, and Carolina Crown. She received her undergraduate education from Central Michigan University and her Doctor of Audiology from Rush University. Lindsey worked for several years as an Educational Audiologist in southwest Michigan before moving to Atlanta to pursue visual design full time.
For over a decade she has been an active visual designer and instructor with scholastic and independent programs all over the country, including BOA regional finalists, champions, grand national semi-finalists, DCI and WGI finalists and champions. Since 2014, Lindsey has worked as visual supervisor and visual designer with Legends Drum and Bugle Corps, who was a consistent DCI semi-finalist since 2015 and placed second in Open Class in 2019. Additionally, in 2019 and 2021 she worked with Boston Crusaders as a visual instructor and visual design intern. Lindsey is thrilled to work with Troopers as visual designer for the 2024 season.