Education

DMA in Jazz Guitar Performance – Frost School of Music, University of Miami (2018)
MM Jazz Guitar Performance – Frost School of Music, University of Miami (2015)
BM in Professional Music – Berklee College of Music (2000)

Biography

Nicholas Petumenos was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He began his formal study of music at the University of Alaska and completed a Bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music in 2000. In 2003, Petumenos recorded “Caught in the Act” with the Inuit Tribal Funk group Pamyua, which won record of the year for Native American music. Petumenos has traveled and performed nationally and internationally at exciting venues including Carnegie Hall, Van’s Dive Bar, the Capital of the United States of America, Girdwood Forest Fair and Copenhagen Jazz Festival. He has made pilgrimages to Spain and Brazil for independent guitar study. Petumenos considers versatility to be his main instrument and actively studies songwriting and music production.

In 2015, Petumenos earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Guitar Performance at the University of Miami and in 2018, completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Guitar Performance at the University of Miami. He taught guitar and bass at Broward College in South Florida from 2014-2021 and presently teaches jazz piano at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Petumenos also teaches group ensemble classes for the local non-profit organization Alaska Jazz Workshop. He is an active performer in the local Anchorage music scene and runs a popular community jazz session which takes place on Mondays at his favorite bakery.