who am I?
I'm a cellist, improviser, and composer currently based in NYC. Described by my friends as "always down for anything", and occasionally as "aggressively Californian", I have yet to find a better way to paint a poem of who I am as an artist and person. As a reptile enthusiast, I take inspiration from the almighty chameleon and enjoy absorbing into my practice what I've learned from the many different communities that I am incredibly fortunate to be a part of.
what do I do?
As a cellist, I love playing music of all kinds and can often be heard dancing (sometimes literally) across the spectrum of styles in any given week, from performing works by those like Beethoven and Roscoe Mitchell in concert halls, embodying interdisciplinary projects in art galleries, to improvising freely on a rooftop surrounded by friends. I particularly enjoy playing music written in the present day for the process of joining forces with composers in order to breathe life into their work. A frequent flyer on stages across NYC, I perform at venues that span the gamut from institutional powerhouses of classical music to experimental performance spaces that function as incubators for creativity and community.
As a creator, my work usually involves some combination of the cello, creative writing and text, elements of performance art, movement, and improvisation. I appreciate alternative methods of composing and admittedly have a mild allergy to notation software. Conceptually, I'm fascinated by social scripts and how they permeate everything we do as musicians, from the conventions of traditional performance practice to the compositional techniques we use that evoke certain established associations. It tickles my brain to examine, play with, and subvert — or disregard — the relationship between these traditions and the expectations that they elicit. Above all, I value collaboration and generally find myself more inspired to create in context for people and spaces, over instruments and competitions.
As an educator, I currently serve as a teaching artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in addition to teaching privately. In the past, I've served as a substitute faculty member with the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke's. I also teach classes and offer private lessons as a climbing instructor with Movement Gyms (formerly The Cliffs).
As the beneficiary of some of the world's most inspiring educators, I would be remiss not to acknowledge their tremendous impact on my musicianship and artistry as a whole. They include (but are not limited to) Andy Akiho, Jane Ira Bloom, Shayna Dunkelman, Wendy Eisenberg, Mary Halvorson, Darius Jones, Billy Martin, Joel Noyes, Fred Sherry, Curtis Stewart, and Andrew Yee. I am infinitely grateful for their mentorship and guidance.
Beyond music, I've worked as a biomedical researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and love all things outdoors. When I'm away from my cello, I can often be found riding my bike near the water, taking photos, and sitting outside in the sun like a lizard.