Blog: Musical Musings
I began composing music at age eleven. I'm grateful to my piano teacher, Mrs. O'Brien, for encouraging my creativity at a time others would have swatted it out of my fingers with a ruler. She didn't.
Since then I've created five albums and a catalogue of over 400 diverse unique copyrighted tunes and songs of both solo piano and multi layered tracks with various instrumentation. My melodies have been described as memorable and emotionally textured, accessible and intimate. They seem to contain whole stories within and suggest poignant dramatic emotional worlds of their own in a wide variety of styles and genres.
As an adult I've continued with songwriting classes, courses and workshops and enjoy moving among creative circles inspired by other musicians and artists.
Along the way I have worked with various community groups to provide custom original soundtracks for original local theatre productions, and collaborated with local artists. I've created works on demand meeting specifications for various needs for a national clearinghouse.
My ear has been finely tuned and calibrated. As a lead sound engineer I precisely engineered, mixed and equalized stage music for live performances of nationally touring artists for over twenty years at the Ark. I reviewed riders and ensured the stage was properly equipped and all requirements met for a smooth experience. I also mixed live music as a freelance Sound Engineer for many local bands at other local venues for their shows over the years.
I hosted and emceed the Ark's Open Stage regular shows for 25 years which provided local artists an authentic stage experience with a focused captive audience, instead of performing among the clatter and comings and goings as background music at coffee shops and other local venues. In this capacity I produced twenty annual shows where I selected, promoted and showcased various local artists.
As the Stage Manager and Emcee for the 2nd Holler stage at the Hollerfest Music Festival in Brooklyn, MIchigan for the past seven years, and previously as the Assistant Stage Manager at the Frog Island Festival and part of the stage crew supporting The Ark's annual Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium, I ensured the stage was organized and properly prepared for the performers, addressed any issues, and met the performers needs.
And that's just what I do for fun! In my day job I worked for years as a process engineer with professional experience in project planning and project management.
Music is my passion and I am happy to share it with you.