ABOUT ME

As a kid, I tried to quit piano lessons on the condition that my beloved piano teacher, Mark, would still come over each week just to hang out. (Spoiler: I didn’t end up quitting. Thank you, Mark.) As silly as it may seem, I believe that my childhood self was actually on to something. To this day, I still feel that the best part of any creative project — writing, performing, or even learning an instrument — is the people part. Human connections are where I find inspiration. Sometimes those connections are abstract, unrealized possibilities that are new and exciting. Other times, they’re decades-long fixtures — sustaining relationships, tried and true. Either way, for me, they always seem to be what keep fueling the fire.

Don’t get me wrong. I do love craft — melody, text, perfect voice-leading — when all the details are just right. There’s little that compares to the goosebumps you get from a piece of music’s rich textures, or when its rhythms connect you to your body, whether from a solo piano, or a full symphony orchestra. And I’m grateful to have learned about craft from some of the best creators and teachers in the field. But I’m equally thankful to those mentors from my childhood who showed me early and often that music could be something we all did, not just a refined art form requiring years of study before working up the necessary skill (and nerve) to show it to others. During those first years as a performer, the stakes were low in the best possible way. Opportunities to make music with and for other people were plentiful and non-judgmental. Maybe this was a product of small-town life, or perhaps it was by design, thanks to the wisdom of those early mentors. This combination —making lots and lots of music, working toward my 10,000 hours, but certainly not waiting until I got there before sharing it — is what grew my true love (addiction, really) for collaboration and community.

I am so fortunate to have grown my musical community and the list of my collaborators to include some of the greatest artists, choirs, and orchestras in the world, including The National Symphony Orchestra, The Boston Pops, Conspirare, Vancouver Youth Choir, Idina Menzel, Cynthia Erivo, Ingrid Michaelson, and many others. 

Making music is simply the best way I’ve found to spend time with other people, and the people are still my favorite part.

For a more traditional bio and downloadable press photos, find my press kit here.