This is not your typical musician’s bio the kind that lists schools attended or performances at Carnegie Hall. I’ve never played Carnegie Hall, and that’s not really what my musical journey has been about.

I began playing the cello when I was ten years old after the music teacher at my school suggested it. He said I had a good ear. Maybe he just needed a cello player!

Looking back, I believe God had His hand on my life from the very beginning. I fell in love with the cello almost immediately. I even remember practicing in the bathroom because the acoustics made the instrument sound so big and beautiful.

My parents found me a wonderful Juilliard-trained private teacher, and I spent years studying the traditional classical repertoire. But I was also a child of the 1960s. Music was exploding all around me. I was listening to Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and so many others. Before long, I wanted to play that music on the cello.

My teacher couldn’t show me how and honestly, she didn’t approve. So I learned the only way I could: by listening.

After high school, I didn’t head straight to college. Like many young people of that era, I spent time hitchhiking across the country, hopping freight trains, living in a tent, and searching for direction. Eventually I returned home and worked a variety of odd jobs.

Then everything changed.
While shingling a roof, a ladder collapsed beneath me, and I fell, shattering my left wrist. During the long weeks in a cast, I spent a great deal of time praying and seeking God’s direction for my life. It was during that season that I felt called to become a cellist.

I enrolled in college as a cello major, immersed myself in the classical literature, and envisioned a career in professional orchestras. After performing with several regional orchestras, however, I realized my calling was leading me somewhere different. I wanted to create my own musical path to play the music I loved and to discover what the cello could do beyond its traditional role.

That journey led me into rock, blues, jazz, improvisation, and composition. Along the way I became a private teacher, helping students master the classical repertoire while also encouraging them to improvise, create, and find their own musical voices. I eventually became an in-demand studio musician, performing on hundreds of recordings and touring with singer-songwriters and bands.

Today, my greatest joy is sharing everything I’ve learned with other cellists. Through my music, my compositions, my teaching, and my website, I hope to encourage players to think creatively, improvise fearlessly, and discover just how expressive the cello can be.

The cello has been one of God’s greatest gifts in my life, and I’m grateful to spend my days playing it, teaching it, and passing it on to others.

Peace to everyone who reads this, and please feel free to reach out anytime