What year did you join the orchestra?
I started playing violin in the orchestra in 2015 and became the accompanist for the Reno Phil Choir in 2018.

How long have you been playing music?
I have been playing music for the majority of my life! I started playing piano when I was four years old and violin when I was eight.

How did you pick your instrument?
My older brother was also involved in music so I took up the instruments that he was learning. I didn’t want to be left out!

Occupation?
I am a full time musician and student! Along with my work at the Phil, I am the organist at Reno First United Methodist Church and am currently pursuing a Master’s in Piano from UNR, where I hold a full time graduate teaching assistant-ship.

When you’re not playing with the Reno Phil, what would we most likely see you doing in your free time?
In my free time you can usually find me listening to music, going for a bike ride, or playing video games!

What genre of music are you most excited to play?
Lately I have really loved playing piano for musical theater! Theater can include many diverse styles of music and I enjoy the collaborative production process.

What is your favorite piece of all time to play, and why?
This is such a tough question – I don’t think I can only give one answer! If we are talking about orchestral rep, I always look forward to playing Dvorak’s New World Symphony or Respighi’s Pines of Rome. I think both of these pieces are full of beautiful textures and memorable melodies! If I am playing piano, Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque or Rachmaninoff’s C# minor Prelude are perfect if I am feeling contemplative or dramatic, respectively!

If you could meet one composer/musician, who would it be and why?
I’d have to meet Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys! Not only do I admire his overall body of work, I just gotta know how he wrote “God Only Knows” – that song is the most perfect thing in existence!

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Nothing beats body surfing and eating Lolita’s Mexican in San Diego!

What do you think the audience would find surprising about you?
I have broken both of my elbows and my left wrist! I lost a certain amount of hand motion after the wrist injury, which ended up affecting my ability to play the violin. But I am still making music and I will be for the rest of my life!

What about performing live music brings you joy?
I love performing live because it is when I feel the most connected to people around me. Sometimes, music has a way of saying things in a way that words can’t and it has a power to unite people through their emotions. When a group of people come together to engage in this collective emotional experience, I feel that there exists a level of human connection that is usually absent in normal day to day life.