Guitarist Thomas Aquino is from Chicago, Illinois. During his youth, he studied with Jack Cecchini for 10 years. He was awarded the Barbara and David Jacobs Scholarship to attend the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as an undergraduate. Thomas has taken master classes with leading guitarists such as Christopher Parkening, Jorge Caballero and Adam Holzman. In 2018, he placed 2nd in the classical category of the Wilson Center Guitar Competition. In 2020, he won the Twisted Spruce Competition’s Performance Prize. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees in guitar performance from the Jacobs School of Music, studying with Maestro Ernesto Bitetti. His doctoral project analyzed the improvisational styles of Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, and included four original works modeled after them.