Share with us some of your professional accomplishments.

One of the courses I taught at Duke University was an electronic music and music theory course for students with no prior musical experience. In the course, students learned how to read and write music and also applied concepts they learned in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). By the end, students composed short piano compositions. I still remember one student. He had the biggest smile on his face after hearing his piano piece performed!

Sometimes, I reflect on what a composer is actually supposed to do. That was especially true of my piece, rouge, since it was written during the pandemic, and it was the first time I wrote music that wasn’t going to be experienced by an audience, at least not in person. Composing rouge challenged a few assumptions I had about what a piece should do and defied some conventions I thought were unerring. In essence, rouge is both a studio composition and a piece of chamber music. There are some small things I would like to change, but I’m proud of rouge. 

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What excites you about Luzerne Music Center?

Summer 2024 would be my first time here so I’m open to the experience and am genuinely looking forward to getting to know everyone. Summer music festivals are really wonderful and meaningful places to experience music with people who are also passionate about music. So I’m thrilled and look forward to being part of the community.

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What can campers expect to learn while working with you this summer?

I hope campers learn something about themselves through composing music. Writing music can open oneself up to musical challenges and experiences that are greater than oneself. It also creates experiences that never existed in the first place—which is fascinating. I hope campers discover something unique and special through their imagination.

Share with us some of your professional accomplishments.

I am a composer and teacher based in Brooklyn, NY. In much of my work, I play with ways of turning simple materials into luminous soundscapes, often by using an intricate network of canons and spectrally-oriented harmonies. I love the moment in music when the ordinary transforms into the sublime. 

 

My musical background is as a post-rock guitarist turned harpist turned composer, which has enabled me to connect easily with students of myriad stylistic persuasions. Currently, I serve as Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University where I teach graduate seminars in theory and analysis. As a doctoral fellow at Princeton, I was deeply involved as a teacher of both theory and composition lessons. I also helped develop a new course called Reimagining Counterpoint which reframes the art of linear composition using contemporary materials.

 

I’ve had the privilege of writing for many of today’s leading contemporary music ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound, JACK quartet, Contemporaneous, Sō Percussion, Yarn/Wire, and many others. My orchestra music has been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, among others, and at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Magnetic South series. Currently, I’m working on a new album-length project for the Irish singer Iarla Ó Lionáird and harpist Parker Ramsey which will premiere in Dublin in October of 2024 thanks to a commission from the Arts Council of Ireland. 

 

What excites you about Luzerne Music Center?

I’m thrilled to be this year’s Composer-in-Residence at the Luzerne Music Center. Part of what excites me about Luzerne is simply the context in which it happens – there’s something magical about experiencing incredible music surrounded by nature during summer break! These kinds of “musical oasis” experiences were hugely important for me during my student years and I’m honored to help pass on that experience to a younger generation of musicians. 

 

On a more specific note, I’m looking forward to working with students of all backgrounds and skill levels who are interested in learning how to compose music. I love facilitating moments of inspiration during both composition lessons and theory classes, guiding students towards a “light bulb” moment when a new musical passion is discovered. 

 

What can campers expect to learn while working with you this summer?

Campers can expect to tackle the mysterious art of writing music in a supportive and curiosity-driven atmosphere, be they first-timers or relatively seasoned composers. We will seek to connect with our own musical voices while also broadening our horizons by learning about a wide array of styles and techniques. By exploring the skills which make composition possible (notation, sketching ideas, developing themes, etc.), we will aim to bring some of our own ideas to life.