2019 LYCOMING COLLEGE LC MAGAZINE SPRING

Why did you choose a career in music? Music has always been woven into my being, but during high school, my principal aspiration — at least in the beginning — was acting. I loved the stage. I began my college experience with a full-ride theatre scholarship, performing some significant roles. Between my freshman and sophomore years, I spent two years abroad in France and Belgium. This time was spent primarily in an ecclesiastical capacity, but I had many opportunities to perform vocal music and also to write and arrange. It was during this time that I decided to pursue music as a career. I wanted to perform, but I also wanted to conduct and compose. When I returned, I changed my major and never looked back, although I have dabbled in the theatrical arts on many occasions since. What do you enjoy about conducting and composing, and what personal accomplishments are you most proud of? It is both deeply satisfying and frightening to sit down in a concert hall when something you wrote is about to be performed, especially when it is the premier. I enjoy it, but it is a bit scary, too. Conducting one’s own music can be a real challenge. People tend to think that because you wrote the music, you will have no problem leading and teaching it, but for me, the two can be quite separate activities. Perhaps it’s similar to the difference between writing a screenplay and directing a film. Don’t get me wrong, combining these activities can be deeply satisfying, but if you don’t prepare, it can also make for some potentially neurotic moments! When a selection is being premiered, I would generally rather not conduct. I prefer to sit back, try to relax, and just witness its beginning. One of my mountaintop experiences took place during the third year of my doctoral work when “Out of the Morning,” one of my Emily Dickinson settings, was performed in Carnegie Hall for the National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association. I was seated in the audience, but it felt like cloud nine. Afterward, at Carnegie Deli with friends, I seem to remember just staring in euphoric satisfaction at my absurdly giant pastrami sandwich. It was a great performance and it was well-received. Do you think music education is beneficial to all students, not just music majors? I think that musical exposure should be part of any curriculum. The immense benefit of musical participation is scientifically indisputable at this point. In an increasingly digital age, we ignore the salutary quality of live music at our own peril. To be well- rounded, particularly in the liberal arts, students should be exposed to the great music of our history. The Tour Choir will be traveling to France in May 2019. What are you most looking forward to on this trip? I am passionate about musical travel. Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” When I travel with students, I love to see those “lightbulb” moments. I have seen international performance tours change lives. The Lycoming College Choir has a long history with a large group of dedicated choir alumni. What does it mean to you to be part of this ongoing tradition? Music is deeply woven into our institutional fabric at Lycoming College. I see it as one of our great strengths, and it is certainly one of the most compelling reasons I chose to come here. I remember interviewing and being immediately impressed by the value that students, faculty, and administration place not only on the choral tradition, but on music in general. What is your favorite piece of music to listen to? Wow! That is an impossible question to answer. My tastes are eclectic and it really depends. I can’t imagine life without Bach, Monteverdi, and Brahms, but neither can I imagine it without The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, or Boston! 29 www.lycoming.edu