From: I was born in NYC then moved with my family to Franklin, Tennessee, then to Fairfield, Connecticut, and then back to NYC in 2007 for college.

I started teaching music in… 2011

My inspiration: Canons (musical), tape machines, old instruments, birds, trees, group singing, chess, and Film Forum 🙂

Education: New York University, Steinhardt, BM in Music Theory & Composition; Wesleyan University, MA in Music Composition

I play and teach: Piano, Guitar, Music Theory and Composition

My other artistic/musical endeavors: Relatives and Ian Davis: Rock Band

Personal Teaching Statement: As a teacher my goals are to be responsive to the interests of my students and to provide clear, consistent structure that helps students come away with tangible skills while allowing space for exploration, experimentation and play.

Biography: I began studying classical guitar at a young age with an amazing teacher named Evelyn Pelicane at the Westport School of Music. I studied with Evelyn from when I was seven years old until I graduated from high school. In 2007 I went to NYU where I majored in music theory and composition. While at NYU I met a singer named Katie Vogel and we formed a group called Relatives. Katie and I have recorded and released several records together and toured across Europe and the US – we just celebrated our 14-year anniversary as a band 🙂

I’ve worked as a music teacher with organizations such as the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers Program, and the Third Street Music Settlement. I’ve also worked as a freelance orchestral arranger and played in a number of bands. As an arranger, I’ve worked with Daniel Rossen (of Grizzly Bear), Feist, Kazu Makino (of Blonde Redhead), and Cassandra Jenkins, to name a few.

I went back to graduate school in 2017 at Wesleyan University where I studied with Paula Matthusen and Tyshawn Sorey. At Wesleyan, I got into Karnatak music and studied singing with B. Balasubrahmaniyan (whom I also worked for as a TA). I also studied organ with Ronald Ebrecht. I’ve had my own compositions performed by various ensembles including the Mivos Quartet, The SEM Ensemble and the Ostravska Banda.