My Artistic Statement

My practice is an ongoing dialogue with other composers:

Imagine you are walking down a boulevard. You see a bunch of signs hanging in front of all these shops stacked up against each other, disappearing into the horizon. They’re all different composers' names. You stop by Beethoven’s shop because it's a familiar name and everyone is always talking about him (even though he died nearly 200 years ago). You walk in and he’s standing right there. You have a conversation with him and he seems…complicated. But he gets excited when you pull out a recording of his. You listen and have that beautiful moment of discovery. You listen to that one track again and again. And then you read the title: Symphony No. 3. And you think, “Well now I have to listen to 1 and 2. And maybe you buy a book about him just to see if there are any other musical suggestions. And then your friends tell you how much they love his music and all their favorite works by him. And you’re inspired. And you write a piece of music from that inspiration. And maybe Beethoven’s style creeps in, or maybe you quote something or at least make a musical nod to it. But let’s be honest, his music helped you finish that piece. That little discovery exposed you to so much and gave you a renewed joy in your life. And then you go to that boulevard again and walk down to the next composer’s shop. It’s Berlioz or Tchaikovsky or Hildegard von Bingen. And you have another conversation. And you are inspired and you write another piece. And their music inspires you and makes an impression in your music. 

My practice is an ongoing dialogue with other composers; just trying to make the world a more musical place.