I am a composer of operas, orchestral works, art songs, solo piano works, and chamber works. I have been composing since I was 8 years old and have chosen a life dedicated to creating music that inspires. My dedication to opera is to break the paradigm of the tragic female lead while incorporating the many sounds I absorbed throughout childhood (including European, West African, Eastern European, Spanish guitar, Mariachi, musical theatre, and many more influences). I'm interested in creating works with strong female leads as well as creating works that break gender norms.

 

The operas I create are paradigm-shifting, collaborative, other-identity centered, cross-culturally informed, meaningful, structurally sound, emotionally accessible, and empowerment centered.

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I am a sonic storyteller. My music represents the ultimate expression of my own story, of stories that I am drawn to, of life, and of philosophical and spiritual conundrums. I have always drawn inspiration from poetry and stories, making every single one of my pieces programmatic, whether they are composed as absolute music or set to a text. The story, while ever present, is not always obvious to the audience, because as much as I am telling my own story, I also believe in autonomy of interpretation. I see music as an opportunity for community. It is a call for seemingly disparate groups to connect sonically. That I can provide a platform upon which this can happen is always my greatest honor as a composer.

 

My first love is composing. Since I was a young child, I have been drawn to creating music. It challenges me emotionally, intellectually, creatively, physically. The advent of my passion for music began (as far as I can remember) at age 3 when I remember connecting deeply to music for the first time. It was in a dance studio in San Francisco, CA where I lived at the time. I ended up taking dance and as much as I loved leaping about the studio, it was really the music that I wished that I could climb into and become a part. I remember leaping about with such gusto as if my deer leaps might catapult me into the sounds that surrounded me. Five years later, I discovered that I could tell stories at my piano. Not knowing how to notate at age 8, I would write the letter names on pieces of paper and remember the rhythms. My wonderful piano teachers through the years taught me both how to play and how to notate my compositions. By age 16, I was absolutely convinced that while I knew that there were many things that I could do with my life, there was only one thing that would keep my soul alive... music. It is with this passion that I have continued to compose, to tell sonic stories, to share my stories with others and hope that within my musical offerings, someone might find something of themselves within my works... something that touches them, that causes them to reminisce, that causes them to feel, to think, to wonder, to question... ultimately, to connect to themselves and the life around them.

 

This is me...

 

Story...

 

Connection...

 

Community...

 

Welcome to my page and I hope that you enjoy what you hear...