Roger Panella is a versatile guitarist and music educator based in the Chicago area. Throughout high school and college, Roger played in several original rock bands in the Western Pennsylvania/Eastern Ohio area. His first exposure to jazz guitar began with lessons with the great Youngstown area guitarist and composer Teddy Pantelas. Through the lessons and frequently sitting in with great musicians at Teddy's weekly gig, Roger developed a love for jazz that led to his enrollment at the Berklee College of Music.
In the fall of 2000, Roger relocated to the Boston area to study performance at Berklee where he had the opportunity to study with great teachers like Sheryl Bailey, Garrison Fewell, Jon Damian, and Richie Hart. He graduated from Berklee Magna Cum Laude in December 2004. While in Boston, Roger played in a variety of situations, including a long-running weekly jam session co-led with bassist Sven Larson. He also taught at the All Newton Music School as well as the Bosse School of Music.
As a recent transplant to Chicago, Roger is looking forward to new playing and teaching experiences in his new home town.