About Me
I am a freelance musician based in the East Bay of California. I work as a dedicated music teacher, vocal arranger, and accompanist, and have sang in numerous choral ensembles of all different genres throughout the Bay Area.
I have a particular passion for vocal jazz. While a student at the University of California, Berkeley, I served as the music director of the Cal Jazz Choir, a student-run jazz a cappella group. I have made over thirty unique arrangements for the ensemble. These arrangements have been performed at the school’s Spring Commencement Ceremony, at alumni banquets in Singapore, and other venues throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
My music has been sung by over fifty different choirs throughout the globe. As an arranger my focus is on developing tight harmonies while utilizing the full capabilities of voice parts and ranges.
As a music educator, my focus is on reshaping the students' musical perspective. We often think of music as "hard" - especially with regards to jazz and other non-classical styles of music, but there is a difference between difficulty and unfamiliarity. The things people find challenging about music (chords, rhythm, improv) wouldn't be seen as so difficult if we were exposed to them earlier on in our musical careers.
Outside of music, I work as a mechanical design engineer at a semiconductor company in Fremont, CA.
Current Musical Projects:
Teaching Assistant, Musically Minded Academy
I work as an instructor for the "New Notes" orchestra at Musically Minded, a non-profit music school in Oakland, CA. I play cello in the orchestra, and provide lessons for elementary school strings and piano students, at the beginner and intermediate level, in both small group and one-on-one settings.
Accompanist, Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church
I am an accompanist for services at the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church in Walnut Creek, CA. I serve as both a pianist and songleader as needed, performing music of jazz, pop, gospel, and various other styles throughout each service. I am also a member of the Mt. Diablo Chalice Choir.
Bass, Oakland Jazz Choir
I am one of the newest members of the Oakland Jazz Choir (dir. Ben Flint), one of the only vocal jazz community choirs in the country. We perform our original arrangements at events throughout the Bay Area.
Arranger-In-Residence, Cal Jazz Choir
I was a member of the Cal Jazz Choir, a student-run vocal jazz group at UC Berkeley, from 2017 to 2022, and served as the music director for three years. I now work as an arranger-in-residence for the choir; I have arranged over thirty different pieces for the group, and provide mentorship to new members writing their first arrangements.
