Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO!
What’s your favorite thing about being a musician?
I love being a musician because no day is the same. There’s no real continuity and you’re not allowed to get into a routine. It also allows for a wide variety of opportunities from community engagement to networking to performance and teaching!
From a musician’s perspective, what’s different about performing with the Omaha Symphony?
The Omaha Symphony is about as unique as they come! I’m saying this not only because I have played with A LOT of orchestras all around the country, but because I chose to call Omaha home over other places. We serve a wide variety of audiences and cater to the community. Not only do we do traditional masterworks performances, we do more education, pops, and rocks than anywhere I know of!
What is an orchestra’s role in their community?
Each community has its own needs and interests. The role an orchestra should play is to cater to those specific needs, whether it’s a wide variety of repertoire and diverse programming, or simply providing a place for everyone to come together to enjoy live music.
Everyone should feel they have a place here at a symphony concert.
What’s special about the community here in Omaha?
Our community in Omaha is one of the most supportive and innovative in the country. There’s a reason that people want to move here, bring their families, and plant roots!
What is one of your favorite memories where you have connected or engaged with the community during your tenure at the Omaha Symphony?
In my five years with this organization, I’d have to say that I can’t put a particular memory up front. However, in 2017, Pink Martini came and the lead singer at the time, Storm Large, led a conga line up and down the aisles of the Holland Center. I’ll always remember what a blast our audiences had!
From a musician’s perspective, what’s different about performing with the Omaha Symphony?
The Omaha Symphony is a well-rounded organization. In music schools, you learn how to play all the large pieces and win auditions. However, you don’t learn how to interact with the community, play the soundtracks to movies or accompany Ben Folds. That’s what makes this organization special. My colleagues are able to seamlessly shift from genre to genre, sporting whatever hat we need wear at that point in time.