Musicking
Christopher Small’s 1998 neologism “musicking” works as an apt monicker to describe how I engage with music through a wide range of activities and processes, which include multi-instrumental performance, ensemble direction, composition, arrangement, and improvisation. My training, experiences, and interests are eclectic and connect me – and by extension my scholarship and pedagogy – to a variety of musical and cultural traditions.
Performance & Direction
My primary instrument is the piano, which I play in a variety of styles including classical, jazz, and popular. I have also had formal training in performance on the organ, harpsichord, and flute. Additionally, I have experience playing the following instruments: hurdy-gurdy, tin whistle, recorder, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, ney, saz, banjo, and säckpipa.
Composition & Arrangement
I compose and arrange music for many musical ensembles in contexts as diverse as university symphonies, amateur choirs, K-12 school programs, presentations on neurological imaging, and collections of lullabies. I am interested in the ways in which music can encourage performers and listeners to encounter the unexpected and unfamiliar – the poetry of Scottish mystic George MacDonald; the combined sounds of nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, sitar, and mandocello; the emergence of hermeneutically suggestive musical quotations – and reconsider paradigms of center and periphery.
Interdisciplinary Collaborations
I welcome collaborative connections and opportunities to perform, and often work with my colleagues and students in creating a variety of interdisciplinary performances. These collaborations have included such projects as:
Stage performance of Debussy’s Claire de Lune paired with solo modern dance
Choral performance paired with visual art exhibition
Collaboration with engineering department to create a musical instrument that was showcased in choral concert
A Selection of Performances, Collaborations, and Other Creative Projects