About the Musician

 

Hello and welcome ! 

Thanks for checking out my website. 

Originally from Southern California, I currently live in the South of France where I teach trombone, jazz and rock combo at 3 conservatories in addition to playing concerts locally and internationally whenever possible. 

 

Throughout my studies and professional career, I have always performed classical and non-classical music. I love all styles of music and am happiest when I can perform lots of different genres with different groups.

Music was the thing that centered me and gave me purpose when I was growing up. So teaching and participating in the musical lives of young musicians is very important to me.  I love sharing my experience, knowledge and love for music with students of all ages in hopes to contribute to their lives in a positive way.

I grew up in Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles, California. The diverse, multi-cultural artistic environment of Southern California combined with some of the world’s best musicians who perform constantly and teach there, were my model and inspiration to develop as a versatile and adaptable performer.

I had the great fortune to study for my bachelors degree at California State University, Northridge in Los Angeles and then later obtained a double Masters of Music in Jazz Studies and Trombone Performance at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

From 1999 to 2002 I had a dream job playing as the trombone sideman in the swing revival band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. In three short years, I had the amazing opportunity to play hundreds of shows all over the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe with this iconic group. Once that experience came to an end, I decided to put into motion my lifelong dream of pursuing a performance and teaching career in Europe.

I joined the US Army as a bandsman in October of 2003 and was posted to the US Army Europe Band in Heidelberg, Germany in early 2004 just after the birth of my first child and then the NATO Jazz Orchestra in Mons, Belgium in the summer of 2005. Yet another wonderful opportunity working with outstanding musicians with performances in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Holland and Belorussia !!! It was a very difficult decision to leave the army in 2007 and relocate to the South of France where I now live and work.


Since arriving in France, I’ve played with a many local groups in Provence and have been invited to perform and give masterclasses in Japan, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium.