Photo by Michelle Hurt, 2010

Like many composers, I began my musical life as an instrumentalist. While pursuing a BMus in violin performance at Vanderbilt University, I also began my work as a composer. It was there, under the tutelage of Michael Kurek, that I discovered my passion for composition, the most creative of musical pursuits.

Since graduating from Vanderbilt in 1995, I have earned a MMus in composition from the University of Georgia (2000) and gained over ten years of experience teaching composition, theory and violin at both the college and pre-college levels. My compositional training has included studies with Cindy McTee, David Bithell, Joseph Klein and Lewis Nielson, and masterclasses with George Crumb, Lukas Foss, Charles Wuorinen, Joan Tower and Pauline Oliveros. I currently reside in Denton, Texas where I enjoy collaborations with a variety of talented artists as I work towards a PhD in composition.