Music is a way of thinking. Just as business, mathematics, and science are perspectives on life, music is a mindset which involves observation, analysis, and output. Whether the input is a ragged mountain or the texture of sorrow, a composer passes it through the filter of his/her psyche to create a unique rendering in musical syntax. It is when a composer has an unquenchable connection with the input and when the performers have an unfettered bond to the composition that music becomes more than a discipline and soars in the realm of Art.
I have written works for a variety of ensembles and styles. In high school, I won first prize three times at the state level in the MTNA Composition Competition, and second prize in the Southwest Region (same competition). More rewarding, however, was the work I did while studying music theory and composition at Arizona State University. Working alongside poets, visual artists, audio engineers, dance choreographers, and film directors has given me the firm conviction that collaboration is critical. The 2009 premiere of “A Rural Substitute” (spoken word accompanied by string quartet) at the Phoenix Art Museum was “instrumental” in developing my passion for learning from and expressing with people using all forms of art.