I’ve been a professional horn player for over 25 years, performing with the Nashville, Milwaukee, Tulsa, Chattanooga, Huntsville Symphonies, and many more. I’ve recorded over 100 soundtracks for TV, film, and video games, as well as classical and pop albums. I’ve performed in Europe, China, and at Carnegie Hall. I have attended summer festivals such as Tanglewood, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, Music Academy of the West, Sarasota, and others.

I sustained what was termed an ‘overuse’ injury in 2000 while working toward my Master’s degree. I was steered toward help that ultimately made things worse and I had dystonia by 2012. Still working as a professional, even winning auditions, playing was difficult and joyless. At the urging of a friend, I started Alexander Technique lessons. This helped greatly but did not address the dystonia. In 2021, I started working with the team at Musicians’ Wellness of North America and this was where I finally found real, transformative, and lasting help. I also learned that my injury and dystonia were not the result of my failure, but a fundamental failure in modern brass pedagogy. This also explained why playing seemed to become more difficult the more education I received.

I still maintain an active performing schedule, but in 2020, like so many of us during the pandemic, I decided to make some significant life changes. I bought a farm in rural Tennessee (I technically live in unincorporated territory!) where I enjoy raising horses, gardening, and watching my dog Hubert chase squirrels and rabbits. My passion now is to share what I’ve learned about finding ease and joy in playing a brass instrument with others - in the hopes of preventing them from injury and frustration, or to aid in restoring joy to those who’ve lost it.

In addition to my performing career, I am on the faculty of Middle Tennessee State University and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. My former students hold orchestral positions in the United States and in Europe. My current students are enjoying learning about resonance!