Welcome to my website!
Thank you for visiting today.
Things are still under construction, forgive me for the unfinished bits!
Hope you enjoy!
Of course one of my favourite things in life is music and the French horn. One of my passions is nature, National Parks, and especially the beauty of America's SouthWest. Naturally, it is wonderful to combine these two things!
This photo was taken by a dear friend during a trip to Bryce Canyon, Utah - a trip inspired by Messien's "Des Canyons aux Etoiles" ("From the Canyon to the Stars"), and more specifically, the movement for solo French horn - Appel Interstellaire" ("The Interstellar Call").
This vivid piece draws inspiration from Utah's mighty Canyons and otherworldly beauty, and is a significant work for the French horn, as it was one of the first (and still most successful) contemporary works for solo French horn using extended techniques.
Hopefully someday soon I'll have my own rendition of this piece to post. For now, here is a favourite recording -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7PA8JsbD7k
Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France/ Myung-Whun Chung
Horn solist: Jean-Jacques Justafré
Orchestral playing is at the heart of what I do and provides the bulk of my experience, as well as where I am focusing my performance goals.
Very thankful to have this photo from the National Academy Orchestra of Canada's last concert of the 2016 season - here you can see the NAO Brass TUTTA FORZA, no doubt playing one of the forte passages in Verdi's Requiem. Playing in this summer festival orchestra during the 2015 and 2016 seasons were an absolute privilege, full of fantastic people and wonderful music, as well as learning experiences that have and will be vital to my career.
Looking at this photo makes me emotional - many of my best musical experiences and friendships have come out of this orchestra!
An excerpt from what we may have been playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFFHaz9GsY
This is a shot taken near the Red Cathedral in Death Valley National Park.
Playing in this spot was one of the coolest things I've ever done - each note I played created an echo that would come back to me a few seconds later. It truly felt as if there was another person answering each of my calls just beyond the next canyon. Can't wait to get back here to do some serious recording!
Below is a clip of my experimentation with the echoes here. With the low audio quality, it is difficult to hear the echo, but if you listen very carefully you can hear them on some of the higher notes.
One of the most wonderful parts of being a musician is having the opportunity to collaborate playing chamber music. Even better is having the chance to come together with people you've just met, from different countries and area of the world, to get to know each other through playing and performing.
This photo was taken at a performance in Innsbruck, Austria with our quintet performing Hans Eisler's Woodwind Quintet. This performance was part of our course at Klangspuren Schwaz, a contemporary music festival hosted be the prestigious Ensemble Moderne Academy.
Fact: The countless parking garages in LA can provide great spaces to practice and warm up.
As an freelancer in Los Angeles, you often end up having to be creative about where and when you practice or warm up. Sometimes, you'll have to teach really early in the morning, with an important gig or performance right after. In these events, the parking garage becomes your sanctuary (they can also provide some great views too!)
Wow, congrats on making it this far!! Surprise - I used to be a trumpet player! This picture is from an interview where I had the opportunity to play and speak on Canadian National Radio (the CBC). This experience was a dream come true for me!
Why the switch from trumpet to French horn?? That is a long story/post for another day :)
