Personal History
At age six my parents asked if I’d be interested in learning violin. Despite having a very murky idea of what a violin even was, I agreed. That naïve moment sparked a lifelong love of music, as both a patron and a performer. With respect to the former, I’m especially fond of musical theater… particularly the works of Claude-Michel Schönberg, Stephen Sondheim, and Stephen Schwartz. As the latter, I’ve picked up a plethora of instruments over the years: violin, saxophone, EWI, and ukulele (to name a few).
As any good musician will tell you, one of the best ways to improve (other than practice, practice, practice) is to listen, listen, listen. I’m certainly not an audiophile, but I am a firm supporter in the lost art of the album. It takes a tremendous amount of time and talent to assemble a cohesive collection of songs; the best albums ebb and flow from song-to-song in the same way that a single piece of music rises and falls. As such, I tend to exclusively listen to full albums (rather than shuffled playlists). You should try it sometime, it’s a deeply satisfying experience; especially if you take the time to listen actively (rather than just passively).
Favorite Albums
My music collection is composed of 565+ albums… 100% legally owned (support the artists!)… 99% physical CDs ripped as lossless FLAC files (do you hear in HiFi?). If you’re looking for some new tunes, here are a few of my favorites:
 |
 |
|||
| Genre: | Classic Jazz | Genre: | Contemporary Jazz | |
| Artist: | Buddy Rich | Artist: | Michael Brecker | |
| Album: | The Roar of '74 | Album: | Wide Angles | |
| Song: | Kilimanjaro Cookout | Song: | Modus Operandy | |
 |
 |
|||
| Genre: | Contemplative Christian | Genre: | Upbeat Christian | |
| Artist: | Andrew Peterson | Artist: | Mark Schultz | |
| Album: | Love & Thunder | Album: | Song Cinema | |
| Song: | The Silence of God | Song: | I Have Been There | |
 |
 |
|||
| Genre: | Musical Theater [G] | Genre: | Musical Theater [PG-13] | |
| Artist: | Stephen Schwartz | Artist: | Claude-Michael Schonberg | |
| Album: | Children of Eden | Album: | Miss Saigon | |
| Song: | Lost in the Wilderness | Song: | I'd Give My Life For You | |
Playing in symphonies, pit orchestras, jazz ensembles, concert bands, and various churches has kept me busy over the years. Additionally, I’ve had the great privilege of collaborating with my good friend Kevin G. Bender on three independent feature films. I’m always looking for new gigs and composition opportunities, so drop me a line if you want to jam.