About Me

I am currently a Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in Music Theory at McGill University where I am completing my doctoral dissertation, “Formal Functions and Beethoven’s Sketches: A Case Study of the Eroica Sketches” under the mentorship of William E. Caplin. If you are interested in reading more about my dissertation research, I invite you to view my dissertation prospectus, which outlines the goals, methodology, and scope of the project. You may also be interested in my 2020 SMT video, which presents a preview of the work I have done with animated scores and performances of the early Eroica sketches. An article based on this work is forthcoming in the innagural The Beethoven Journal for release in late 2021. The article is titled “From ‘Radical Blunders’ to Compositional Solutions: A Form-Functional Perspective on Beethoven’s Early ‘Eroica’ Continuity Sketches”.

In addition to my work on Beethoven’s compositional process, I have active research in the history of music theory, musical theater and opera (through Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story), the music of George Gershwin, and the production, composition, and theory of electronic dance music (EDM).

Before McGill, I completed a dual concentration Masters of Music in Music Theory and Piano Performance with distinction at the University of New Mexico with co-advisors Richard Hermann and Falko Steinbach. I also hold a B.A. in Physics and Astrophysics and a B.M. in Piano Performance, summa cum laude from the same university.

In addition to my work in music theory, I am an active pianist and have performed in the United States and Germany. I have posted several recordings of my performances on this site.

Scholarship

I have presented my research at national and international music conferences including:

I also have presented at regional conferences such as:

  • The Music Theory Society of New York State (MTSNYS)
  • Music Theory Midwest (MTMW)
  • New England Conference of Music Theorists (NECMT),
  • The Rocky Mountain Society of Music Theory and Musicology (RMMTS).

I have been awarded best student paper in both music theory and musicology for work drawn from my Master’s Thesis, Modeling Compositional Grammars in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story (1957).

Text for an image Picture 2 Picture in Vienna playing the piano

Teaching

For more information on the courses I have taught, download my CV. At McGill, I have taught the vast majority of the undergraduate music theory curriculum including Theory IV: Expanded Harmonic Resources of the 19th-century and Post Tonal Theory for 20th- and 21st-century Music as the instructor of record. I have also taught Music Theory I & 2 (first and second semester tonal harmony and introduction to form) as the teaching assistant to Profs. Christoph Neidhöfer and Edward Klorman, Post Tonal Theory 20th- and 21st-century Music as the teaching assistant to Prof. Robert Hasegawa, and Analyzing Classical Form as a teaching assistant to Profs. William Caplin and Jon Wild. Before McGill, I taught Music Theory and Analysis 1 and 2, Musicianship (aural skills and keyboard), and “Music for Dancers” as the instructor of record at the University of New Mexico where I worked with Profs. Richard Hermann, David Bashwiner, and Falko Steinbach.

Picture of me playing in Gummersbach, Germany


Scholarship Music Videos