Appearances
Richmond Symphony substitute, 2023–24; Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra substitute, 2022–23; Miami Music Festival, 2019; Sewanee Summer Music Festival, 2017
What is your earliest memory of classical music?
When I was very young, listening over and over again to a CD my parents had of marching band arrangements of classical pieces like Bolero and Appalachian Spring.
What is the most memorable performance you ever had?
Performing Elektra with the Washington National Opera Orchestra. The principal percussionist and timpanist were my primary professors during my undergraduate degree studies, and I was hired to play both percussion and the second timpani part. Getting to play alongside both my professors as their colleague was a really special experience.
Can you share any memorable onstage mishaps?
During a performance of the suite from Der Rosenkavalier I somehow managed to crash a pair of cymbals into each other at the right angle and with the right amount of force that one of the cymbals inverted so that it was inside out. I couldn’t bend the metal back into shape without making noise and in my panic decided to play the rest of the piece with an inside out cymbal. Luckily, after the performance, when I asked the other members of my section how it sounded, they said they hadn’t noticed any difference.
What is a surprising part of playing your instrument that you think most people don’t know?
Even when playing non-pitched instruments like snare drum, triangle, or tambourine, the goal is still to be as melodic and musical as on any pitched instrument.
What is the biggest challenge and/or surprise about playing in an orchestra?
As a percussionist, one of the biggest challenges is knowing when to lead and when to support. Because of the nature of our instrument, a single percussionist can affect the whole orchestra, so an understanding of the role of your part in any given piece is essential.
What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now?
You can’t control the outcome, only the process, so do the best you can and then let go of the results.