About

I am told that as a small child I would sit quietly, staring in awe as my older cousin produced a volley of notes on her violin with lightning fingers. Keen to play these lively jigs and reels, I took up a child-sized fiddle and, over time, discovered that through this instrument a shy child could express all the emotions boxed up inside. 

This magical instrument now serves me in my musical life as a freelance musician and educator. My violin leads me to a broad variety of musical styles, gigs, collaborators and audiences. It takes me to concert and recital halls, churches, dance halls, and recording studios where I play everything from classical to contemporary music, from traditional fiddle tunes to improv. It has sent me on tours around the world, from the Pacific Music Festival in Japan with conductor Fabio Luisi to the Orchestra of the Americas in Europe, South America and Canada with conductors Valery Gergiev and Carlos Prieto. A week-long workshop with the Kronos Quartet culminated in a performance at Carnegie Hall. 

Bolstered by my doctorate from SUNY Stony Brook where I worked with the Emerson Quartet, Pamela Frank and Ani Kavafian, I wanted to give to others through the music I had studied and practiced for so many years. So, it was on to Providence to pursue a fellowship with the acclaimed Community MusicWorks. This position as a resident performing musician and teaching artist immersed me in the non-profit world, and offered the opportunity to collaborate with great artists like Johnny Gandelsman, Frank Rosenwein, and the Miró Quartet. After an inspiring two years at Community MusicWorks, I collaborated with my friend and colleague Ealain McMullin to found the mentoring and performing program called the Newport String Project. For six years I served as co-director, resident musician and teaching artist and learned invaluable lessons in how to run a non-profit.

I now serve on faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and the Birch Creek Summer Performance Center. As a performer, I enjoy leading the second violin section of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, playing with the Cape Symphony, performing regularly with the Southcoast Chamber Music Series and putting on shows with the new music collective, Verdant Vibes.

A firm believer that music can move people, quite literally, I play in contra dance bands across New England and in the Midwest where I enjoy giving energy to people's feet through those lively old-time tunes. Since I was a young child I have played fiddle with the Rusty Pickup String Band, discovering over the years how to infuse rhythmic drive into a hall full of dancers and create joy through my music.