A musician since the age of three when I began studying piano, I did not actively compose until the age thirty-seven, when I studied under Dr. Larry Bell and Howard Frazien in Boston, MA. In composition, as in life, I explore the interaction between the old and the new, tradition and innovation, examining every nuance and implication of my experiences and musical ideas. Composer Walter Saul has described my work as “stunningly resourceful with scant material.”
My works have been performed by the North-South Consonance in Manhattan, the Great Woods Symphony, and by saxophonist Lawrence Gwodz, as well as being included in the national conference of the Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers; the 2016 Rhode Island All-State Festival; the 2017 New Music Festival in Fitchburg, MA; and commemorative events at local churches. Additionally, my work has been featured on the radio program, “Music of Our Mothers.” My piece for string orchestra, Daughter of the Stars, is a finalist in the 2020 American Prize composition competition in the pops/light-music division and will also be released on Ablaze Records’ Orchestral Masters Volume 7, due out in Spring 2020.
I have been a musician all my life, starting with piano at the age of three and adding clarinet and saxophone later in my school years. I began accompanying at the age of eight, when I played with the children’s choir as well as a young violinist at church. My musical training includes both classical and jazz, and I have experience working with vocal and instrumental soloists, choral groups, chamber ensembles, and musical theater pits.
In addition to my work as a composer and collaborative pianist, I am the music director of Carolina Free Baptist Church and maintain a private teaching studio.