Infusion Evolution’s Lead Singers Met in the Classroom

How a Central Falls student eventually joined her teacher’s band

Infusion Evolution performing in Season 4 of Ocean State Sessions

Share

Infusion Evolution performing in Season 4 of Ocean State Sessions

Infusion Evolution’s Lead Singers Met in the Classroom
Copy

When AJ Lee first met David Upegui, she had already heard he was the coolest teacher in school.

“His classroom was really, really the hotspot, the go-to,” Lee said. “He was the coolest teacher. Everybody knew him.”

Upegui, the lead singer for Infusion Evolution, is a science teacher at Central Falls High School. He’s been celebrated in Rhode Island and nationally for his work as a PBS Digital Innovator.

“A lot of times as a teacher, I aim to just be a mirror to show my students that their world has been waiting for them,” Upegui said when we spoke with him and Lee ahead of Season 4 of Ocean State Sessions. “That society can be better because of who they are and what they bring to the table.”

Upegui often sees the potential of his students, as was the case when he met Lee, “You knew when you looked in her eyes that there was this fire inside of her and that the world really needs all of the talents that she brings with her.”

Not long after they first met, Upegui saw a Facebook video of her singing and was blown away.

“That was the point where I realized that, yeah, not only does she say she can sing, but she really can sing.”

If not for that Facebook video, Upegui may have never seen her talent. At the time, Central Falls High School didn’t have a music program. So he invited Lee to see his band Infusion Evolution play.

Lee and Upegui performing on Season 4 of Ocean State Sessions
Lee and Upegui performing on Season 4 of Ocean State Sessions

“I just remember being so drawn in and I remember afterwards I said to him, one day, I’m going to be in your band, but I didn’t think that that was actually possible.”

Now, Upegui and Lee sing together for Infusion Evolution. The duo performed along with the rest of the band in season 4 of Ocean State Sessions. Check out their full performance below:

Voters are overwhelmingly skeptical of the promised completion date and cost
The sixth season of Ocean State Sessions premieres July 11 on Rhode Island PBS. From alt-rock to cosmic cowboy, get ready for some unforgettable local performances
DiPrete led Rhode Island through a period of economic growth in the 1980s, but his legacy was marred by a bribery and extortion scandal that made him the only governor in state history to serve time in prison
From cancer labs to coastal climate tools, Rhode Island researchers join scientists nationwide in warning that federal funding cuts could stall lifesaving work
T.F. Green received a score of 84.9 in the annual Travel + Leisure magazine competition based on reader surveys evaluating airport amenities