Artistic Statement

I am an American composer with roots in the upper regions of the South and branches that extend up the East Coast. My compositions range from short, dense pieces that develop as quick as a Polaroid to works that traverse long journeys and deep emotions. The throughline of my repertoire is a devotion to storytelling, texture, and atmosphere.

My musical influences speak to different facets of my identity. If I had to condense my classical influences into just a few, I’d say that Stravinsky, Gubaidulina, Colin Stetson, Caroline Shaw, and Du Yun all played huge roles in the development of my musical aesthetic. I love how these composers approach color, form, style, and can be at once indulgent and resourceful in their sound. I learned from them how to explore the full breadth of an ensemble’s capabilities, from the smallest moments that bring you nose-to-nose with the music to the tidal waves of vibration that you can feel in your chest.

I also find an incredible amount of inspiration in gay club anthems, and the Queer community in general. The way that Queer music and musicians serve as the glue of my community as we connect through experience and proximity, connect to past, present, and future versions of ourselves, connect via subversion, movement, and being genuinely really really cool - it’s just sublime.

Calling back to my Southern roots, I can’t help but be influenced by the classic country that flowed through every car radio within a 200-mile radius of Martinsville, Virginia. Artists like Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash taught me everything I know about storytelling. The music tells stories the way you’d only hear on your grandma’s front porch and employs a level of imagination that you’d only find in the pillow fort at your friend’s sleepover. It’s honesty that is deepened by embellishment.

My goal with each new piece that I write is to create togetherness and understanding through raw expressions of heavy, intimate, often hyper-specific experiences that rarely see the light of day. I find myself frequently revisiting unprocessed moments from childhood that are both unique to my own experience and linked to something more universal. I also strive to cultivate collaborative processes with musicians that extend from the first draft through the final performance.