Performance

Chamber music has always been at the vibrant core of my love of music and my own creativity with the viola.

A sampling of my most memorable

chamber music experiences includes

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Playing string quartets for Norwegian royalty and on a boat in a fjord

Concerto performances and recitals in Japan, NYC, Baltimore MD, Madison WI, Portland OR, Aspen CO fuel my creative drive with the freedom of expression that comes within solo works in particular

Performing in seasonal festivals: Siletz Bay, Sunriver, Trinity Alps, Astoria, Fuji Arts, Festival Amadeus, and the Oregon Bach Festival. (If I could move from festival to festival throughout the calendar year I’d call that most excellent scheduling.)

Providing music & teaching a group of friends in Tokyo to “fake play” for an air conditioner commercial run on Japanese television

Being part of a quartet theatrically run off the stage of a sold-out Madison Square Gardens as part of Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell” tour

Taking music to public schools in remote villages of Alaska; NYC, NY; Funabashi, Japan; Baltimore, Maryland; Lincoln City, Oregon; Madison, Wisconsin.

Performing regularly in retirement homes and care facilities, where repeat ensemble visits build such sweet anticipation and bright sparks of recognition. I’ve had the honor of working with several care homes serving retired musicians and always treasure both the lively conversations and the rapt ears.

Accompanying dancers from New York City Ballet in “pop-up” street performances, and Brazilian dancers in Tokyo in the 90’s- back before pop-ups were cool

Working as a member of several quartets over the span of years, building a personal vocabulary of how we approached some of the greatest music of the genre together. There is no substitute for that time spent learning those works so deeply, honing our ability to respond to one other and share some of the most incredible works of composed art in the world.

Teaching

From my earliest private students to college level viola pedagogy, history & music theory to chamber music and sectional coaching, competition adjudication to serving as a master class clinician; I have been grateful for it all. The kinds of problem solving and curiosity required to teach well, the revelation of human nature and natural expression through history all fascinate and energize me.

Institutions I’ve served as faculty,

clinician or coach include

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Juilliard School Preparatory, New York

Peabody Preparatory Orchestra, Maryland

Chiba Prefecture Public Schools, Japan

Ripon College, Wisconsin

UW Madison: Strelow Graduate Fellow

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Oregon

Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras, Oregon

Lewis & Clark College, Oregon

Multnomah University, Oregon

Corban University, Oregon

Rose City Music Academy founder & director

University of Alaska- Anchorage

Advocacy

The role of modern Western classical musicians includes building opportunities and audiences for excellence in the performing arts.

Some avenues I’ve forged for my career and communities include

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Serving on the boards of many institutions and ensembles has enabled me to learn more about how to contribute to highlighting unheard voices, and to help foster love of classical music in my communities. Most recently, I’ve worked as a board member of the Portland Chamber Orchestra as we navigated the Covid-19 pandemic and continued to raise funds to sustain our organization.

As part of my doctoral studies I created a special project in arts administration with John Harbison’s wonderful Token Creek festival and the Bach, Dancing and Dynamite Society

In addition to performing musical works written for me, I’ve commissioned new music and have a strong history of programming diverse modern classical music. I look forward to expanding this work in my new (and childhood home) state of Alaska.

Founding and managing two working string quartets has helped me more deeply enjoy educating young musicians on both the repertoire and the importance of a strong business skill set.

12 years were happily spent founding and directing Rose City Music Academy, a K-12 music academy in Oregon serving hundreds of families, dozens of faculty members and many school communities. This academy established a student chamber ensemble program, three camps each summer, and continues to teach a variety of instruments & styles. We also worked with Catholic Charities to establish outreach lessons to refugee students and other underserved communities, worked in partnership with area nursing homes, and donated many dozen stringed instruments to music programs in underserved public schools.