I have been performing music almost since before I can remember. My musical journey began as a 4 year old singing solos with the children's choir at Zion Lutheran Church in The Dalles, Oregon. At age seven I began 8 years of piano lessons. In high school I began saxophone lessons learning jazz and classical styles. Upon graduation from Willamette University in 1987, I accepted my first music teaching job in the Milton-Freewater, Oregon school district and taught there 31 years until retirement in 2018. The success of my high school and middle school jazz bands led to me being hired by Walla Walla University to start a traditional jazz ensemble/big band program in 2006 and I directed the Walla Walla University Big Band for 14 years until the "pandemic" shut that down.
After retiring from full time teaching in 2018 I have focused on performing. I particularly enjoy performing jazz but also perform blues, funk, rock, country, and even perform with the Walla Walla symphony and Pendleton Roundup Mounted (horseback) Band.
It turns out that Walla Walla is a great place to retire if you want to perform music!!!!