BIOGRAPHY

I always had knack for music, but not always a passion for it.

 

I picked up the Alto Saxophone in elementary school and played it until high school. I told myself that I couldn't play in the marching band because I would be too busy on the football field.

 

While I did play football in high school, I unexpectedly found my way back to music when my best friend encouraged me to try out for the Men's Choir with him our Freshman year. 

​​

I fell in love with choral music, as well as singing and performing. After 4 formative years of choir concerts and musicals, I left for college to pursue Musical Theater at the University of Northern Colorado.

I was randomly assigned a roommate in college, who happened to be a music education major and a vocalist. He had such a profound influence on me, that after one semester, I had switched to a Vocal Performance major and became classically trained under the late Lesley Manring, I also found a love for opera under the direction of the remarkable Brian Luedloff.

During my studies, I began to realize I didn't have the same disdain for Music Theory classes as my fellow vocalists. In fact, I found myself looking forward to those lessons and completing those assignments. I decided to pursue a second undergraduate degree in Music Theory and Composition, studying under the brilliant Dr. Paul Elwood. 

 

I was constantly pushed out out of my comfort zone and learned to appreciate some of the boundary-pushing work that contemporary composers experiment with. And while my music differs from those composers, I employ a lot of their compositional techniques in my own writing.

I completed one year of my Master's degree, studying under Dr. Eric Alexander. My wife and I were blessed to learn we were expecting our first child, so I made the difficult decision to pursue a different career path. 

After a decade away from music, I have returned to do what I love. ​