I am a violinist and violist currently living in “Silicon Valley” in California. My Bachelor of Music degree in string performance is from University of the Pacific, a hidden gem of a school in Stockton, CA. There I studied viola with Igor Veligan, and chamber music with Dr. Patricia Shands, Nina Flyer, and others. In the university orchestra I played in both the 1st violin and the viola section, which confirmed my opinion that the best place to be in an orchestra is… in the viola section! (You can’t get better surround sound anywhere else! )

In addition to teaching between 20-40 violin and viola students weekly in the south and east bay areas, I have performed regularly in the the SF Bay Area and around Northern California. The groups I’ve played with include the Merced Symphony, InConcert Sierra, the Apollo Orchestra, and Camerata Capistrano, . I also frequently perform in other music settings such as weddings and religious services, and I perform in different music styles including Traditional Irish music and Jazz.

I have been teaching violin and viola since 2006. I focus on not only teaching the skills of the instrument, but also teaching the whole person –  I challenge each of my students not just to become skilled violinists or violists, but to build character and life skills through the study of music. I have a friendly, engaging teaching style and I always work to find what works well for each individual student. Learning and playing music is a great joy, and one of the best ways to experience that joy for a musician to play the music they like the most with other people, which I highly encourage students to do in whatever way possible!

My story with the violin and viola is fairly typical. My family was musical with singing, guitar, and siblings playing other instruments, and I caught the violin bug after seeing some friends play at a recital.
My first teacher taught using the Suzuki method, and after a few years of quick progression through the repertoire, I also began my adventures into Traditional Irish music and playing the Viola. I soon embraced my newfound place in the viola section of the Sierra College Community Orchestra as a teen and continued when I began college courses there. During this time I also discovered a latent ability for math and began tutoring math, which I would continue through the rest of my time in college. Although I took some time to make the decision, I fully committed to music for my undergraduate studies and made the leap to transfer to a university and complete my degree. During my first semester at University of the Pacific, there, I knew I had made the right choice.

Many people don’t realize that a performance degree is music is highly demanding and takes a lot of time and energy. People often say “oh that must be so great to be doing what you love.” But becoming a successful performer and teacher is difficult - I would turn the phrase around because it’s something you can only succeed at if you really love it!

And now for something completely different, a few fun facts about me:

-When I was a kid, my hair was completely straight!
-My family always had cats or a dog, but my pets were bantam chickens
-At one time I could identify over 100 species of birds by sound alone!
-During the Pandemic, I got in touch with my family’s plant-loving roots and got a bunch of houseplants! My favorites are Maidenhair fern, Purple Heart and some succulents. One of my plants is a cutting from a spider plant that someone gave me when I was 9!