BIOGRAPHY
From an early age, music has played a central role in my life. My parents made it a priority to expose me to as many quality musical experiences as they could, whether that was the Minnesota Orchestra's Peter and the Wolf at the age of four, or the Jazz for Kids CD they'd have me clap along to in the car. Apparently, I loved to share this music with those around me. I've been told that I would stand on a table in the post office and sing God Bless America as loud as I could, although I'm not sure I completely believe it. Public postal performances aside, the music I absorbed as a child has shaped the way I've grown and developed, from a boy singing God Bless America, to a college freshman researching new ways musicians can express their art form.
I began piano lessons at the Wolf Piano Studio when I was six years old. Mrs. Wolf, my teacher and the studio's owner, taught me from the beginning not to master every piece put in front of me, but to love playing the instrument. I was exposed to the flowing melodies of Field and Chopin, the intensity of Bach and Beethoven, and the genius of Rachmaninoff, Mozart, and Gershwin. Because my goal was never to play these masterpieces better than everyone else, but to appreciate them for their brilliance, I learned how to play with emotion and be content with the result. After few years, we began to study music theory from the Minnesota Music Teachers Association's (MMTA) curriculum. I quickly took interest in the subject, and after quickly advancing through the eight levels of difficulty, I received awards for the highest final exam scores of any student in the state.
Mrs. Wolf helped me from the beginning to participate in several piano competitions, Concerto contests, festivals, and Guild examinations. By the time I played my last recital with her only a few weeks before my high school graduation, I was a six-time winner of the MMTA State Piano Contest, a recipient of twelve consecutive superior ratings from the National Federation of Music Clubs Piano Festival, a Level Ten Pianist with Distinction, the MMTA Student of the Year, a recipient of a High School Diploma in Piano, and a recipient of the Paderewski Medal, an award given to pianists who had completed ten American College of Pianists Guild Examinations of ten pieces or more from memory. The truth is that even though we found great success together, I never completely overcame my fear of performing in front of other people, no matter the audience. Mrs. Wolf taught me over our years of study that it doesn't matter what my audience thinks, even if it is their job to judge the quality my performance. She taught me that the only opinion that truly mattered was my own, and that if I put my best foot forward and lost, I was still successful.
Near the end of my elementary school career, I took up the saxophone. As a pianist (and a ten-year-old boy), I was excited to join the percussion section so that I could hit the xylophone, but after hearing Richie Cannata's solo on New York State of Mind, the saxophone's allure was too difficult to resist. I played in my elementary school band before beginning private lessons with Scott Johnson, a saxophone teacher in the area. Even though I was a classically trained pianist, Scott quickly introduced me to the excitement that was Jazz music. Because of the enthusiasm he brought to every lesson, I could not help but become transfixed by the genre's atmosphere. For years, we studied the nuances of jazz improvisation and style, always referencing the legends of our craft: Charlie Parker, "Cannonball" Adderley, Sonny Stitt, John Coltrane, and many others. Scott taught me that while a solo cannot have "wrong notes", a sense of intention when creating a melody on the spot helped make it more relatable to the listener.
I applied this concept, along with all I had learned when I joined the jazz band at my middle school. My director, John Greene, was a reserved bass and trumpet player. He taught me to think about what I wanted to hear before I played it. Under his direction, I played my first feature piece at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, where our band took first place in our category. Shortly after entering middle school, I also joined the Minnesota Youth Jazz Bands (MYJB), led by David Mitchell. The program consisted of several metro-area jazz bands of every age category, a program I had the blessing of being a part of for five years before graduating.
During my time at Eastview High School, I took part in as many ensembles as I could, including the Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Pit Orchestra, and more. My three band directors - Matt Gullickson, Frank Pasquerella, and Rich Berggren - presented me with several opportunities, including playing piano for our production of Peter Pan, having an extended improvised solo in our marching band production of The House on Summit Avenue, and a saxophone feature in our school's variety show. Under their direction, I learned what it meant to be a part of a musical team, learning how to adapt to any situation I was presented with, whether it was on the football field, our school's stage, or in a church in Ireland. During my time at Eastview, I wrote for the jazz band, played in the top MYJB band, and sat as lead alto in the All-State Jazz Ensemble for two years in a row. Since leaving, I have been commissioned to write for the jazz band I used to play in, and assisted the marching band in a music-technological capacity.
While my music has always played a central role in my life, my faith is pinnacle. I believe that God gives each of us unique talents that are meant to advance His kingdom. Throughout my musical career, I have endeavored to share my music with those around me, whether it is as the keys player in my church's worship band, or playing saxophone with my jazz combo at local nursing homes. Without the tremendous opportunities God has given me to share my music, it would have been kept to myself. Another way I try and share my music with others is through my original compositions. Since I began writing my own music at the age of six, I have written for my high school bands, a wedding, mixed ensembles at the University of Minnesota, and for groups at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I began entering my compositions to contests a few years after I started writing and have since found exciting success, winning six state, three regional, and five national competitions.
Writing music has been a way for me to process stress, emotion, and energy over the years. It has helped me focus my creativity in a way that others can enjoy, and through that enjoyment, I find tremendous satisfaction. God has blessed me mightily with the freedom to express my ideas through music, whether that music is my own or someone else's. I cannot wait to see where His plan takes me next.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 1:6
God has given each of you a gift from His great variety
of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
1 Peter 4:10
I have since continued my education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, pursuing a degree in Computer Science with minors in Mathematics and Music Technology. I am currently a member of the UNL Saxophone Studio under the direction of Dr. Paul Haar, the Korff Ensemble Saxophone Quartet, and the UNL Jazz Orchestra. During my time here, I will be researching and developing a new instrument that fuses musical creativity and music technology, yielding a device that caters to the musician in all of us. More details on this project can be found on the INFO page.
Upon completion of my undergraduates degree, I intend on pursuing a Masters of Science in Music Technology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.