What instruments do you currently teach? What is your favorite part about instructing? 

I currently teach the oboe. I was also teaching clarinet for a while, but I decided to bring my focus back to my primary instrument. My favorite part of teaching is finding new ways to get my students to really understand the meaning behind what they're doing. It's not just enough to just play the notes on the pages; everything should have a meaning or purpose. 

Who inspired you to make music? 

I've been making music ever since I can remember. I like to joke and say that I was the child of Celine Dion (mom's favorite) and Pinky Floyd (dad's favorite) while my uncle took me to the SF Symphony on the weekends. My family has always been heavily but casually involved in music, but I'm the only person who seriously studied it.

Where have you performed? 

I've performed and freelanced all over the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California, but the last place that I went far to play/teach was in Mexico and NYC. 

What is one thing that you wish you knew growing up as a young musician that you know now? 

Warming up is completely necessary before jumping into etudes and repertoire. 

What is one thing that is notably difficult to overcome when learning Oboe or English Horn that most people would not think about? 

I think it's understated how expensive playing these instruments are. It's a big investment and difficult to find a decently functioning oboe and, even if you have that, you have to have a good reed. Your practicing will go nowhere if you don't have both, so it's always a constant search for either or both.

What parts about San Jose (or the greater Bay Area) do you think are good for a musician or an artist to live in? 

I think there's a really good jazz scene in San Jose, Oakland/Berkeley, and San Francisco. In San Jose, I see there are more opportunities for musicians to play downtown at cafes and galleries and such. 

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

The internet has impacted brand management. I actually just attended a virtual music business conference a couple of weeks ago and attended a panel on content and brand development. It was stated that if you aren't constantly putting out content, then you'll fade into the ether. That's the state of the business right now. If you stop putting out content, then people will forget about it. But it poses the age-old issue of quantity vs. quality, which really affects recording artists who primarily reach their demographics on streaming platforms. 

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Never believe your own hype, and the only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday.

How does music enhance other parts of your life and your other line of work?

I've always been heavily embedded in music and music culture that it catches me off guard when people are surprised that I have a skill that I would consider to be second nature, such as being able to isolate what song is playing at the mall overall of the ambient noise.

You changed your focus in University from Voice to Oboe. Why did you ultimately feel you needed to make that change?

It's hard to admit. I actually wanted to be an oboist but didn't have the confidence in my skill level to go for it out of high school. All of my training since I was 6 was in voice, so I had the most experience in that and seemed like a no-brainer for me. I started playing clarinet at 13 and started playing oboe at 16, and then attended university at 17 so i was afraid I wouldn't have gotten into any school because it's so competitive.

Ultimately, I failed my voice juries because I didn't practice and my heart wasn't in solo voice singing. I was enrolled in the symphonic band at the same time and was encouraged to switch my focus. Luckily, I had the most supportive private oboe teacher, Dr. Michael Adduci, and he was pleasantly surprised when I came to him in hopes to audition into the school as an Oboe major. I remember exactly what he said to me the first time I played for him: "Usually, when people tell me that they haven't played oboe in 2 years, I know what it's going to sound like and will have to turn them away. But this? This I can work with." Then he took me in and I studied privately with him for half a year to prepare for my audition back into the music program.