I create soul-satisfying music without the paralyzing fears that often grip audiences when they hear the words "new music." I can write sensitively in practically any medium; film, commercial music, orchestra, choir, etc. I carefully work with collaborators to ensure a polished, highly engaging product. I want to return to the world of emotions. Promoting emotional health is important to my craft, as is contemplating the deep things.  

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I fight against those who have an excluding point of view. People who try to gain an audience by asserting their superiority only have wannabes as  supporters. Sooner or later, we have to get rid of the ideals of who dresses the nicest, who went where, and who wins the most. We have to get down to what really makes a person a good artist: doing the things that reach real people, and reach their hearts. 

 

I create the music you want to hear. I can tell a story, can amuse, can provide something memorable, and can make you feel emotions. I can write in practically any style and convey anything that exists in a person's soul. 

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Now, take a deep breath as I prepare to summarize my achievements. No. The most important part of MY craft is my music. If you want to listen to that, go on to Spotify or YouTube. The most important measure of a concert composer's success is the music, the audience, and how a composer is supported. The most important measure of success for me as a composer is that thousands of people listen to my music. 

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I have over 20 commissions. Among those commissions I have received include the Ladyslipper Ensemble, the Barlow Endowment (x2), string members of the St. Louis Symphony,  [TriO], The Missouri Quintet, among many others. I have gained varying degrees of recognition in the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, the Southwest American Prize, The American Prize in Orchestral Music, the Bruno Maderna International Composers Competition, the Missouri Orchestra Composers’ Project, the Alfred Schnittke Composer's Forum and Competition, and the National Flute Association (2x), etc. My music has been broadcast many times on radio stations. Other achievements remain unmentioned, such as conferences and festivals. My music has been published by Holy Sheet Music, Aldebaran Editions in Italy, and Forton Music in the UK. I have a doctorate degree, where I studied with Mark Wingate and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.