Music & Creative Arts
A professional musical career that ran in parallel with an international life — before the technology chapter began.
Professional careers and creative lives don’t have to be separate. For Gian McCoy, music came first — a serious, conservatory-trained career as a professional bassoonist that took him from San Francisco to Vienna and across the major concert halls of Europe. This page is where that part of the story lives, deliberately kept separate from the professional narrative so neither diminishes the other.
Instrument & Training
Gian McCoy is a professional bassoonist. He studied for five years under Milan Turkovic, one of the most internationally acclaimed bassoonists in the world, at the music conservatory in Vienna, Austria. His training was grounded in the European classical tradition, with intensive preparation for the competitive orchestral and chamber music circuit.
The musical career ran from San Francisco, California, through Vienna, Austria — the two cities that anchored his training and professional performance years. The European years (approximately 1989–1996) included touring throughout the continent and performing in major concert halls. The transition from performance to Vienna’s commercial and civic life led directly to the marketing, promotions, and humanitarian work that preceded his technology career.
Scholarship & Competition Recognition
- Three-time recipient of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Scholarship Competition
- National Association of Negro Musicians Scholarship — First Place (1994), Second Place (1993)
- New York Philharmonic Scholarship (1988)
- Los Angeles Philharmonic Scholarship (1991)
- Winner of an internal class competition to perform the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with the Pro Arte Orchestra in Vienna
- Interviewed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Radio Station
Performance Record
Guest Soloist
Los Angeles Philharmonic
January 1994 (Mozart Bassoon Concerto); 1993 performance
Guest Soloist
United Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna
January 1995: Two performances featuring Von Weber
Guest Soloist
Kamchatka State Orchestra, Vienna
Member
Klangforum Wien
Internationally acclaimed contemporary music ensemble; toured and performed throughout Europe
Principal Bassoonist
Several major European symphony orchestras
Freelance principal bassoonist; temporary principal bassoonist with the United Philharmonic Orchestra
Connection to Technology
One thread that runs through both Gian’s professional and creative lives is an instinct for platform infrastructure. When he built the Coastal Cities Jazz Band website — complete with show calendar management, fan email capture, booking inquiry workflows, and Reverbnation music plugin integration — he was doing what he has done for industrial manufacturers and blockchain ventures alike: building the digital infrastructure that allows an artist to own their audience relationship and manage their career online without ongoing developer dependency.
Coastal Cities Jazz Band (2024)
Designed and built the complete web presence: domain registration and DNS configuration, GoDaddy email hosting, YouTube channel creation and admin role delegation, Reverbnation plugin for show listings and music player, show calendar management for self-service event updates, fan email capture for newsletter and audience list building, and booking inquiry workflow design. Built for self-sufficiency, not dependency.
Ashley Fink — Artist Web Presence (2010)
Coordinated web and logo development work for performing artist Ashley Fink, working alongside brand designer Brandon Tyrrell and Mattie Management. One of the earliest recorded intersections of Gian’s technology consulting practice and the creative arts world.
This page covers Gian’s creative background and music-related technology work. For his professional technology and business consulting career: