When did you attend CVSM and who were your teachers?
My first class at CVSM was Musikgarten with Susan Whitelock when I about was 4. Afterward, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons with Bob Parini. Marie Hershey and Brian Helman then became my teachers.
Where do you currently live and what do you do?
I’m back in Franklin County teaching at CVSM and Dickinson College. I’ve undertaken a recording project of the complete piano sonatas of William Bland (a former CVSM instructor) which has one CD out so far on Bridge Records. I am also the church musician at St. Andrew’s Episcopal in Shippensburg.
Do you still participate in music activities?
That’s literally my life!
What is your best/favorite memory of your time at CVSM?
In my senior year of high school, Brian (Helman( prepared me for my college auditions, which required over an hour of solo repertoire, memorized, and playing to the best of my abilities. That level of preparation eventually became the norm in my undergrad and graduate work but was not at all the norm when I was a teenager. It was an intense time for me, the first time music and piano really became the main focus of my life, and I was beyond fortunate to have Brian as a teacher during that time.
What are three words to describe CVSM?
Musical, creative, and fun!
What was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
My first job was washing dishes at the Cracker Barrel on Wayne Avenue. I think I lasted 2 weeks.
If you could instantly have any talent, what would it be?
To be able to sing, then I wouldn’t have to play the piano! 😉
What is one thing you can’t live without?
Worcestershire sauce
In what places have you lived?
Born in Chambersburg, PA, moved to Potsdam, N.Y. for undergrad, then to Montreal, QC.
What is your favorite quote?
“Life is a gift”
