I realized something not long ago-- the art I've created isn't just because of who I am, but because of where I've been. As I travel the globe, my experiences shape my music, inspire new projects, and fuel exciting cross-cultural collaborations. These experiences along with my passion to use music as a tool for connection and amplifying voices has led me to define my role in the world as a collaborative musician.
I've never quite been able to choose just one instrument, nor just one place to call home. I have taught, conducted, and performed in Ghana, Haiti, Nicaragua, South Africa, Canada, England, and Brazil, while my compositions have been performed in the U.S., France, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
In 2018 I joined the team at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's OrchKids Program, where I currently serve as Director of Education. Prior to this, from 2016-2018 I lived in Palestine (The West Bank), teaching and conducting at the Al Kamandjati Music School. I received my Master's Degree in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education "Arts in Education" program in Boston, USA.
From 2013-2015, I worked as the first Boston Philharmonic Fellow with Benjamin Zander's Orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts. There, I established and directed the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra's Crescendo! Education and Community Engagement Program in twelve Boston area schools, developing the music education curriculum, and conducting the BPO's Classroom Concert chamber orchestras. Before this work with the Boston Philharmonic, I served as the Piano Fellow with the Umoja Arts School in Arusha, Tanzania from 2011-2013.
In Arusha, I had the joy to teach private lessons in piano, flute, and voice, while also conducting youth ensembles. During my time in Tanzania, I also worked as professor of composition and arranging at Makumira University in Usa River.
I received my Bachelors in Music degree in Composition and Theory from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in 2011 and studied orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory with Charles Peltz from 2013-2014. I received a Masters of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2016.
In addition to my passion for music, I love working with animals and participate in many animal welfare efforts, including serving as U.S.A. Board President to the Meru Animal Welfare Organization (serving northern Tanzania).
FEATURED IN THE MEDIA
ReVista Magazine: Harvard Review of Latin America
Gique, Boston: Organization fusing art and science education
The Ensemble: the National El Sistema Newsletter
Le Petit Journal, Tunisia
Tunisia Scope, Tunisia