Composer of various chamber, orchestral, film score, and commercial musical works
Guitar works published by the Los Angeles Classical Guitar Edition
2023 album release on Ravello Records, a contemporary classical label imprint of PARMA Recordings
Commissions and performances from many new music groups and soloists, such as the Stony Brook Chamber Players, the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, the East Lansing Orchestra, the Cadillac Moon Ensemble, Nemø Ensemble, Ensemble / Parallax, the Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra, pianist Junghwa Lee, and flutists Rogier de Pijper, Orlando Cela, and Sarah Brady, to name just a few
Programmed guest composer at the 2015 Universidad Nacional de San Juan Guitar Festival in San Juan, Argentina; 2016 12th Adams International Flute Festival and the 2017 One Day Flute Festival at Adams Muziekcentrale in Ittervoort, The Netherlands; 2018 Composers Conference directed by the late Mario Davidovsky; 2021 Charlotte New Music Festival; 2021 Great Lakes Concert Series at Grace Cathedral in Topeka, Kansas; 2022 College Music Society Southern Regional Conference at Delta University; Kint Pianos in Ghent, Belgium; and 2018, 2022 and 2024 Outside the Box New Music Festival at Southern Illinois University

Awards

"Top 10 Music Professors Who Inspire Us," by College Magazine, January 2017

Education

School Name

Stony Brook University

State or Province

New York

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Field of Study

Composition

Date Degree Received

2002
School Name

Stony Brook University

State or Province

New York

Degree

Master of Music (M.M.)

Field of Study

Composition

Date Degree Received

1995
School Name

University of Wisconsin-Madison

State or Province

Wisconsin

Degree

Bachelor of Music (B.M.)

Field of Study

Composition

Date Degree Received

1993

In Their Own Words

"There is so much passion and creative energy here at Berklee that it’s hard not to be swept up in all of the excitement. What’s unique about Berklee is the exposure students get to a wide array of music and the broader musical education they receive because of it. Berklee’s diverse and thorough curriculum helps create a well-rounded and versatile musician, better capable of musical expression in a variety of ways and therefore better prepared for a vibrant and fruitful career making music."

"One of my main objectives in any tonal harmony, counterpoint, or composition course I teach is to inspire and equip students to dig beneath the surface of the music they encounter. Our core music courses train students how to write using a particular harmonic language, but these courses also provide students with the opportunities and tools to 'get under the hood' of the music they love. When we learn how to recognize and comprehend structural elements in music, we can then begin to understand from the inside out how and why a piece of music works and, by extension, how it might have been composed, how it might be performed, heard, or even taught."

"It’s important for students to move outside of their comfort zones and become explorers and lovers of all music, not just one or a few particular genres or styles. My gateway into music was rock guitar, and that was my single passion when I stumbled into an undergraduate music program many years ago. I was fortunate enough to have some great (and patient) teachers who ignited my curiosity and helped open my mind and ears to an ocean of new sounds. I approach all of my teaching with the hope and expectation that every student I encounter will experience a similar awakening."