The context in which music has flourished in my life centers around sacred spaces. From childhood through college graduation, most of my music experiences took place in church and school choirs, both of which chiefly performed sacred music. In 2002, I traveled to Taizé, a monastic community in France which accommodates young people drawn to contemplative prayer and the values of peace and reconciliation. The style of sung prayer observed in the Taizé community is known throughout the world for its simple, beautiful melodies repeated over and over in chant-like fashion. On vacation from a job and a life in which I mostly felt out of place, I embarked upon that journey with an ardent desire to gain clarity regarding a more meaningful line of work and a general purpose for my life. In the serene setting of Taizé where prayers are sung three times a day, I began to realize that my devotion to music needed to expand from a pastime to the passion at the center of my existence.

The Taizé community’s custom of praying through song reflects my personal experience of music as a live encounter with something stirring, meaningful, and healing. In the years following my time in France, I more actively sought out out sacred settings for musical involvement, including hospice work as a music therapist; singing Taizé-inspired songs for a recording with readings by Father Thomas Keating in 2004; choral singing; and contributions to various prayer services through solo and ensemble work.

In 2006, I met guitarist Steve Pearlman at Montview Church in Denver; we embarked on a music partnership that became the focal point for my creativity until the summer of 2012 when Steve passed on after a long battle with cancer. I had the great good fortune of recording a studio album with Steve in 2009 called Grace, a collection of seven of our favorite songs we regularly performed together (see Discography tab at the top of this page). Steve's talent, focus, and friendship remain a formative part of my development as an individual and an artist. I miss him and his musical gifts very much, and I am so grateful that his time here on earth included the chance for us to make music together for a few years. 

Around the time of Steve's passing in 2012, I began to discover my love for teaching music to others. I now work full-time as a private piano teacher, offering a non-traditional learning approach to children and adults. This work is heavily informed by by my intensive studies with Nancy Reese, originator of a unique approach to piano called Effortless Playing (www.effortlessplaying.com). Nancy's one-on-one work with me reflects an age-old model of mentorship by a musical expert to a protégé. While institutional music education degrees have only arisen in the last 200 years, the mentorship approach to learning traces its origins back to the earliest days of music education. My studies with Nancy have taken my own playing to an unexpected level of ease and virtuosity, and it is a delight for me to let her approach and expertise guide and shape my own students with astonishing results. For those who wish to learn more about enrolling in piano lessons with me, please visit the Piano Lessons tab at the top of this page, or navigate directly to www.playpianodenver.com. 

It is my greatest joy to continue this musical journey, wherever it may lead.