Throughout my life I have enjoyed a dual career as a pianist and violinist. This has provided me with an exciting and stimulating lifetime of music making!

My family lived in Oakland California when I was in elementary school, and I attended public school which had an outstanding music program. I participate in group violin lessons and played in the school orchestra led by a wonderful music teacher, Mr. Schroeder.  I also took private lessons in piano from a neighborhood teacher. Through these two excellent instructors I received a solid foundation in both instruments.

Later in life, as an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara I was fortunate to meet the renowned Hungarian pedagogue Dusi Mura. She was an extraordinary person, musician, and pedagogue, and she had a profound impact on me as a musician. I stepped aside from my studies at UCSB and spent 6 years studying piano with Ms. Mura, and she remained a mentor until her death in 2009.

After completing the BA degree in Piano performance from UCSB, I ventured off to Buffalo New York. I was thrilled to be in a large city again. I was excited by the multitude of music possibilities, and became active as a teacher, piano soloist, and collaborative pianist. My first job was playing for the students in the voice studio of Gena Las, a remarkable singer who had sung at La Scala for 20 years. That is when I fell in love with the vocal repertoire. I taught piano at a Community Music School and through that institution I was able to collaborate with many visiting artists through Affiliate Artists Inc. of NYC. I frequently performed as soloist and chamber musician for the live-radio broadcast “WBFO: Opus Classics Live” out of Buffalo, NY.  As a freelance violinist I played with many orchestras including the Erie Philharmonic, and the Artpark Orchestra in Lewiston NY, which was the Summer home of the Buffalo Philharmonic.  

Further studies brought me to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York, where I studied with Rebecca Penneys, completing the MM and DMA degrees in Piano Performance and Literature. Ms. Penneys was a gifted prodigy, who became a remarkable pianist and teacher, and she offered many pearls of wisdom. She was a very supportive person and guided me through the program. I then taught for the next decade at Universities in Arkansas, Kansas, Texas and California. 

During this time I joined together with some of my favorite musicians and friends, and became a founding and performing member of a contemporary music ensemble called 'Colloquy'. We commissioned several new works and performed across the US, and also in Canada, Mexico, and in London, UK.

In 2006 I moved to the California Central Coast, and returned to private teaching. For the next 19 years, I had a successful studio and met many wonderful students and families. Several students competed successfully in regional, statewide, and national competitions. In 2024, I decided it was time for a change, so I ventured up to Oregon and then moved to the beautiful city of Eugene and am enjoying the Oregon lifestyle. I remain a member of MTNA https://www.mtna.org/, and now OMTA https://oregonmta.org/