Statement of Work

•

I identify myself as a composer, saxophonist, and producer of performance events. I originally moved to Kansas City to study jazz and the saxophone and this background provide both a foundation and foil to my work. I view my work as an exploration of the dichotomy of new technologies and older musical practices, the saxophone and my study of jazz serving as the anachronistic and the computer and my study of electronic music as the modern. In my work, I am always trying to reconcile my modern taste for pop, rock, and hip-hop with my love of counterpoint, tonality, and classical structure. In the past year, this has led me into composing and producing evenings of chamber music and operas.

Being self-taught as a composer, I am always striving for non-academic innovation. I am deeply committed to musical narrative and I endeavor to draw audiences into my work with a sense of drama, virtuosity, and originality. This drive has led me to pursue interdisciplinary collaboration as a means to provide context and excitement for audiences. I feel that music is best served not on its own but as part of a larger performance narrative. My work with dance, visual artists, and opera attempts to move outside of a traditional concert setting.