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I have established myself as one of Canada’s foremost bass clarinetists. I am a specialist of contemporary music and free improvisation and I have performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Canada and abroad. I hold a PhD in Musicology from York University, a master’s degree in Bass Clarinet Performance from the University of Calgary and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Waterloo. My performance instructors have included Stan Climie, Tilly Kooyman and world-renowned bass clarinetist and improviser Lori Freedman. I have participated in workshops and masterclasses with world-renowned musicians such as bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay, legendary improviser and percussionist Eddie Prévost and have studied electroacoustic composition with Richard Windeyer and jazz improvisation with Sundar Viswanathan.
I am currently the Director of the Improvisation Convergence Ensemble (ICE) and instructor of “Improvisation 1”, Community Music Skills, “Music Since 1975”, and I am the bass clarinet studio and woodwinds group class instructor in Community Music at Wilfrid Laurier University. Additionally, I am the bass clarinet instructor at the University of Waterloo, and I was the Artistic Director of contemporary music presenter/producer NUMUS concerts for a period of 10 years.
As an enthusiast of improvisation in the classroom and bass clarinet repertoire, I have guest lectured in university classes and conducted workshops across Canada for both teachers and students. I have also spoken and performed at academic conferences around the world presenting my research. I have three published articles dealing with subjects such as using improvisation as a therapy for performance anxiety and using collective free improvisation as a means of building self-confidence, self-expression, and facilitating and connection with others. In 2016, I won the Cook Homes Music award at the Waterloo Region Arts Awards, recognizing my many years of contributions to the local arts scene. I
have released two solo albums, “Open” (2010) and “Masked” (2019)”, and my duo Stealth also released an album, “…listen” (2015). My research interests include improvisation pedagogy and the use of free improvisation as therapy for musicians with various anxieties. My most recent research focus is music and brain injury. In 2018 I completed my PhD at York University under the supervision of Dorothy de Val and Casey Sokol. My dissertation, "The Improvising Musician's Mask: Using Musical Instruments to Build Self-Confidence and Social Skills in Collective Free Improvisation", was nominated for a university-wide dissertation prize.
In recent years, I have worked to extend and continue my dissertation research. This resulted in the writing and publication of two new articles and the presentation of my work at various international conference. I am currently working on writing two books. One of these is primarily based on the research findings in my dissertation and the other is a new method book for teaching, learning, and practicing free improvisation. Additionally, as a brain injury survivor, I am now starting research on using music to help heal from and deal with the significant mental health impacts of living with a brain injury.
I believe very strongly in the value of creative work as part of a music education. This type of work extends not just to our work as musicians, but also into all aspects of our lives, which is one of many reasons why I love working with students and helping them find their creative voice via musical improvisation.