Hometown:

Cleveland, Ohio

Year you joined the Grant Park Music Festival:

1998

Where did you study?

Indiana University

What do you love most about your instrument?

The richness of the sound, and, just looking at it, it’s a piece of art!

What’s on your playlist at the moment?

Michael Bublé, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Renee Fleming’s Homage CD

What would you be if you were not a musician?

Interior designer

Who would you love to work with in a future musical collaboration (conductors, guest artists) who you have not previously worked with?

Renee Fleming, Bryn Terfel. We’ve worked with them at the opera, but it would be wonderful to perform a concert with them in Millennium Park. Oh, and how about this…Ron Magers narrating Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait”?

Can you share any memorable stories about your experience with the Grant Park Music Festival?

There are so many, but one stands out in particular…Several years ago, we gave the Chicago premiere of John Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls”. During rehearsals, we weren’t quite sure what to make of the music (Yes, even performers can’t always understand a new piece at first, so why should audience members be expected to know right away?). As we listened to the soundscape and navigated our way through our parts to fit with the rest of the orchestra, it became apparent that this piece was profound. As we began the piece, my stand partner motioned for me to glance at the eastern sky, over the lake. The full moon was rising, in the most beautiful shade of golden yellow. It was haunting, and those of us who saw it will never forget the experience.

Sending . . .

Thanks for signing up!