COURSES TAUGHT
- Applied Lessons
EDUCATION
- BM, Oberlin Conservatory
ENSEMBLES
- San Francisco Symphony, Principal
- Baltimore Symphony, Principal
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Boston Symphony
What is your hometown?
York, PA
What is your favorite recording?
No faves, but I enjoy listening to classic jazz like Miles Davis, Coltrane, Cannonball, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, and Brad Mehldau. Throw in some late Beethoven and Schubert string quartets and piano sonatas, Berglund's Sibelius cycle, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, and Brahms’ Third Symphony and I'm a happy camper.
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Cooking, running, golf, and hanging out with my family.
Who were your major teachers?
Robert Willoughby at Oberlin, and Britton Johnson, former flutist with the Baltimore Symphony, who taught me the craft of orchestral playing.
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
“You have to take risks. If you dance enough on the edge of the cliff, you get very comfortable there.”
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
I found myself gravitating towards orchestral music as a result of attending local concerts with my parents, but hearing Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the old Academy of Music from the top balcony at age twelve pushed me over the edge.
What was a turning point in your career?
Getting a scholarship to Interlochen and being immersed in an environment with so many people who shared my passion for music and the arts.
If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?
Cooking.
What is your daily practice routine?
I like to practice my fundamentals while watching baseball, football, or golf on TV. Basketball doesn't work so well. It's too frenetic.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Beethoven, Brahms, and Debussy.
Who are three students you have had the privilege of teaching?
Cathy Peterson, William Cedeno, and Carmen Lemoine.
What are your academic publications?
Several performance guides and interviews for Flute Talk Magazine.
What recordings can we hear you on?
Any San Francisco Symphony recordings and videos since 2006.
