I grew up playing music and always had a deep love for the piano. I started playing the clarinet in 5th grade and after that I tried each of the woodwinds, and a couple brass instruments, until finally landing on the oboe in the 8th grade which fit me perfectly. I played the oboe all through high school and college, as well as in some performances since. In high school I played principle oboe in the Wind Ensemble but it was playing in the Tacoma Youth Symphony where I really fell in love with playing. I participated in solo competitions throughout High School taking first in some of them and competing at various levels in others, including at the State level in the Solo and Ensemble contest. After High School I attended Pacific Lutheran University where I focused my energy on composition, studying with Greg Youtz. I played principle oboe in the Symphony Orchestra starting my freshman year and it was through that group that I was able to tour Germany, an amazing experience. Since college I have played in various groups and gigged solo at weddings and the like, but it has been my compositions that have received the most focus. I have been writing music since the day I was able to produce a note on a piano and it is my first love. Throughout my growing up I wrote a lot and entered some compositions into young artist competitions. I was able to mentor with Prof. Youtz in my senior year in High School and after working with him I decided to sit down and compose a piece of music- a concerto movement for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble- which I then conducted at our last concert. The entire experience was grand, and amazing. I was also able to study with Sam Jones, the composer in residence for the Seattle Symphony, which led to a couple pieces of mine being performed by chamber groups made of Seattle Symphony musicians, one of which was played on the stage at Beneroya. I then got into PLU where I majored in composition and experimented with my music, as young composers do in college before necessarily finding their "voice." Recently I was the conductor of the Capitol Area Junior Symphony, part of CAYSA, here in Olympia. That was an amazing experience and I will never forget my first concert with my back to the audience on the stage at the Washington Center. Last year a friend and business partner and I put on a concert which was to be the first of a series, but due to scheduling and other issues became a one time event. This concert was the Pacific Northwest Composer Project. Four composers, ourselves included, wrote original pieces for a chamber group and we had them performed at the Broadway Performance Hall in Seattle. Now I am working as a private instructor of music in Olympia. I teach all the woodwinds, piano, and composition. I currently have students studying in all of those fields at levels from absolute beginner to intermediate. Also, I am at this time setting up online lessons, so please contact me if you have any questions or would like to set up lessons!