About Me

Some people ask me why I chose percussion, and I just tell them that percussion chose me. I love explaining to people what it is I do and that is play numerous percussion instruments in an orchestra. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and had the honor of studying with Bill Wilder, Charles Settle, and Tom Sherwood in the Atlanta Symphony.

I was the tenured Principal Percussionist of the Billings Symphony Orchestra in Montana for the 2023-24 season, and I am an extra percussionist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony. I have also performed with the Boston Philharmonic and worked with great conductors, such as Hugh Wolff, Robert Spano, Patrick Summers, Cristian Macelaru, Ludovic Morlot, Benjamin Zander, Matthias Pintscher, Michael Stern, Mei-Ann Chen, Anne Harrigan, Peter Oundjian, and Earl Lee.

I moved to Boston to study with Dan Bauch of the Boston Symphony at the New England Conservatory on a Presidential Distinction Award for my Bachelor’s degree. I continued at NEC for my master’s degree to study with Will Hudgins and Matt McKay on a Dean’s Scholarship. In 2023, I will pursue my Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory as a proud recipient of the Florence Man and Bernard Sze Scholarship, and I will study with my former teacher Charles Settle of the Toronto Symphony.

I’ve spent 2 summers at the Aspen Music Festival studying with several teachers including Ed Stephan and Jonathan Haas. For 2021, I performed in the National Repertory Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern and Carl Topilow.

Among the chamber works performed are Druckman’s Dark Upon the Harp, the Reich Mallet Quartet, Reich Quartet, Unsuk Chin’s Gougalon, Aurel Hollo’s Jose beFORe JOHN5, and Bartok Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion, and an arrangement of West Side Story with Amici Chamber Ensemble in Toronto.

I am passionate about performing new works, and I premiered Robbie Bui’s Tiers of Consciousness for Piano and Percussion in 2021, the U.S Premiere of Sciarrino’s Stupori, and will be performing the U.S Premiere of Kati Agócs’s FOMO for Solo Percussion in Jordan Hall in February 2024 in Boston.

I finished 2nd in the Modern Snare Drum Competition in Atlanta, GA in 2015, was a soloist for the National Repertory Orchestra in 2021, and was a Finalist for the Percussion Conservatory Scholarship in 2023.

As a drummer, I played for the Peachtree City United Methodist Church for 3 years, studied with Bill Wilder, the drummer of the Atlanta Pops, and Jim Gwin, the former drummer of the Boston Pops.

As a teacher, I teach middle and high school students privately and worked at the NEC Preparatory School as a percussion coach and ensemble manager for 3 years. I currently teach out of my private studio and coach percussion at the Oscar Peter School at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. I greatly enjoy teaching talented and motivated students, and sharing my knowledge and experience!