Musician | Director | Teacher
All I wanted for my 8th birthday was an upright bass. That was it - I had found my path. I was fortunate to have incredible teachers, especially David Cobb who was so much more than just a teacher to me. I was even more fortunate to have the most supportive family I could have asked for. From paying for private lessons, to playing “roadie” and driving long hours for rehearsals, to even chaperoning a trip to China and Hong Kong, my family has been right behind me every step of the way. I fully appreciate just how lucky I am in this regard.
Music has taken me around the world. I have performed as a boy soprano in Germany, as a tenor in Austria and Ireland, as a bassist in China and Hong Kong, and as a singer, bassist, and music director on both Carnival and Princess Cruise lines. I even managed to survive the notorious quarantine on board the Diamond Princess at the very start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The more I have seen and the more people I’ve met, the more I’ve come to realize just how similar we all are. It is continuously impressed upon me how important music is across this broad spectrum. It unites; it heals; it expresses those things many of us fear to say out loud. There will never be too much music in the world.
Most of my professional career has been spent as a bassist - on upright and fretted & fretless electrics. I played my first paying gig when I was 12, in a pit band for the Dorset Playhouse production of She Loves Me. Since then, I’ve played in more pits than I can count, for both musical theater and opera. I also had the opportunity to be the musical director and conductor for three fully-staged productions at the Paramount Theater in Rutland, VT: Mary Poppins, Shrek the Musical, and most recently, The Wizard of Oz. Stepping into the role of director was one of the most time-consuming, and most rewarding, musical experiences I’ve had. I am eager for more!
I believe one of my greatest strengths is my ability to sight-read just about anything. This skill was fostered from an early age, and I have always delighted in the unique challenge it offers. My classical background (I graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance from Boston University) coupled with all of my pit experience and my time on board cruise ships, has finely honed this skill. As a showband musician on board a ship, I would frequently be presented with a headliner’s music I had never seen before, rehearsed for 45 minutes, and then performed two shows that same night. This was thrilling to say the least.
Although there have been challenges I could not have anticipated, I have never been able to shut out that voice that incessantly calls me to music. This website, created thanks to the support and encouragement of my partner, Kelsey, is just one step I am taking to continue my journey. The other is with the prog/math rock band, Amulette, in which I sing and play bass & synth. It is one of the first times in years I have felt challenged musically, and has reinvigorated my pursuit of knowledge and mastery of new techniques. I hope you’ll join me along the way. I hope you’ll ask me any questions you may have about my experiences or goals. I hope I can bring joy to you through my music. Thank you.