“Ultimately, every musician needs to find their own path, but the experiences of others on the journey serve as valuable reminders of what truly matters as we find our own way.”
How did Bellingham become your home?
Back in 2001 I moved to Bellingham to teach mathematics at WWU.
Tell us about your journey to the viola as your instrument of choice?
I started playing the violin as part of my public school’s strings program in 3rd grade. When I was a sophomore in high school, a friend of mine needed a violist for a quartet gig the following week and asked if I would do it. I didn’t play viola at the time and had to learn how to read the clef pretty quickly. Luckily, if you know how to read notes on the violin, there’s a “trick” that you can use to translate viola notes into violin notes. You don’t actually know the names of the notes but just think about the finger you’re using and what position you’re in. Regardless of how that gig went (I think it was OK?), I do remember how the feeling and sound of the viola immediately resonated with me. I was hooked, and switched over to studying the viola soon thereafter.
Do you remember a time when you were young and something musical just grabbed you?
When I was very young, I had a tape cassette of Itzhak Perlman encores which I played again and again and again. I was always struck by his sound: warm, inviting, easy.
How did you decide to make a life in music?
I don’t think that anyone decides to make a life in music. If you’re a musician at heart, then you literally have no choice but to dedicate yourself to music in at least some capacity.
Where did you complete your musical studies?
The Cleveland Institute of Music.
Are there any musicians or teachers in particular who have played important roles in forming your thoughts as a musician? I would have to say that every musician I’ve performed with, every teacher I’ve taken lessons from, and every student I’ve taught has been important to my development as a musician. Ultimately, every musician needs to find their own path, but the experiences of others on the journey serve as valuable reminders of what truly matters as we find our own way.
Share some of the musical moments that have most inspired you? Performances you’ve watched or been involved in or both.
Inspiring to watch:
Itzhak Perlman & Pinchas Zukerman performing the Handel-Halvorsen duo (recorded on my VHS on PBS back in the 80’s and watched again..and again..and again)
Timothy Eddy performing the 3rd Bach Suite live when I was a junior in high school.
Watching the Mendelssohn Octet at the Banff International Music Festival with the Miro Quartet.
Inspiring to perform in:
The Mendelssohn Octet with the Pacifica Quartet and the WWU Faculty Quartet. Even more than the music, I remember the camaraderie and supportive atmosphere.The Bellingham Festival of Music orchestra this past summer. There’s a new conductor who creates a palpable feeling that emanates deep from within the orchestra. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so connected to the other musicians while performing in such a large ensemble.
What are your (current) favorite classical pieces with and/or without viola?
My favorite pieces are always the ones that I’m currently working on (so…Beethoven Harp Quartet and Tchaikovsky String Quartet in D Major).
What was a most unusual performance you were involved in?
About 15 years ago I went to India to do a bit of traveling. I spent a week in an ashram in Pondicherry, located in Southern India. I didn’t wind up at that particular ashram by chance as there were 2 different random Bellingham connections related to the ashram which lead me to stay there.
What was a bit coincidental was the fact that there were several classically trained musicians who were either living in the ashram or just passing through. I can’t remember whose idea it was, but we decided to put on a concert (of course, someone just happened to have an extra viola!). And, I’ll always remember the feeling of playing to a packed, standing room only, extremely engaged audience: to be sure, there was electricity or perhaps some other connecting energy in the atmosphere.
Tell us your thoughts on the art of chamber music?
Chamber music is by far my favorite medium of musical expression. I love the intimacy among the musicians that I’m playing with and the feeling that we’re trying to create something that is larger than any one of us. I also really enjoy the process behind the performance which involves bringing your musical ideas to the conversation while keeping your mind open to other ideas that your colleagues may have.
How do you spend your time outside music? Other interests?
My day job is that I develop educational software so I spend a lot of time programming. Outside of that I spend time with my family and make sure that I get out into the woods every day.