Bio

Starting with classical cello at age 5, music has always been at the center of my life. At 12 I was introduced to jazz on the bass, and taught myself guitar and piano in varying genres such as folk and rock. I also began writing dozens of songs and compositions around this time.

In high school, my performing career really started to take off. Besides playing in county and state jazz bands and orchestras, as well as my high school jazz band and orchestra (as principal cellist), I started playing out at jazz bars, parties, musical competitions, and fundraisers. Desiring to expand my ability to express myself musically, I began to focus on composition and electronic music, studying the subjects at Eastman and Oberlin summer programs.

At Brown University, I started to further branch out. Majoring in electronic music and composition, I was able to concentrate all my energy on exploring my musical passions. I formed two bands performing my original songs, and composed several pieces for orchestra, voice, synthesizer, Jazz band, Jazz combo, piano, cello, and much more. Using my knowledge of studio techniques, I recorded and mixed my debut album, Geranium.

During this time I also became fascinated with analog synthesis and its ability to form impossible multi-voice soundscapes simply by the interactions of voltages and digital bits, and started working on several long-form ambient works.

I am currently pursuing my masters in concert composition at NYU, and have studied with Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, Robert Honstein, and Ezequiel Vinao.

For me, music is all about creating stories, new worlds, a sense of awe; but this story must be productive. As artists, our duty should be to help heal the world, not revel in it’s darkness, promote anger or anxiety, or simply create empty, meaningless distractions. And yes, while darkness and anger and anxiety is often necessary to tell a story, this negative energy in music should serve a purpose, it should be constructive. For this reason, I always aim to make my music a facilitator of compassion, awe, community, playfulness, and imagination. If I can create a transformative experience in my audience, allow them to connect deeper with their emotional self and that of others and the world, I have done my job as an artist.

Composer

Film Scoring

During my time at NYU I have scored dozens of scenes from existing films for various classes. Below are my favorites…

Musical Mood Board

Collaborations

 Performer

Live Electronics

Instrumental

Geranium

Debut Album, 2018

Available on Bandcamp

Teacher

Playfulness is my pedagogy

Current Rates

$60 for 30 minutes

$70 for 45 minutes

$80 for 1 hour

Finding music was the best thing to ever happen in my life. It wasn’t the scales, techniques, or lessons in theory that gave me this lasting joy, but my own personal discovery, comprehension, and elaboration of them. In this lies the core of my teaching philosophy: the student must discover music on their own terms. In my teaching, I aim to give the student enough of a foundation in technique, theory and repertoire for them to excel on their own - for them to want to excel. Internal motivation is key, and therefore I try to make my students associate music with happiness, self-expression, creativity, and fun; not painful exercises in reading notation or getting frustrated by difficult passages. Playfulness, not perfection, is my pedagogy, for music is contained in no book.

In my lessons, students will learn the foundations of music - technique, theory and repertoire - by whatever means inspires them, be it by following a book, learning pop songs, composing their own songs, learning how to rock out, playing games, or anything really! I listen to my students, and give them a curriculum that fits their personality best.

I mainly teach cello, guitar and bass (electric and upright), but can also give lessons in beginner piano, composition & songwriting, theory, and ukulele. I teach all ages.

If you are interested in lessons, please see the “Contact” tab at the bottom of this site. I teach students at their homes.

Contact

I am located in the Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

If you are interested in lessons, commissions, collaborations, performance requests, or just want to say “hi”, please contact me below.