A little about me
I am a dynamic music composer, producer lyricist, and songwriter. With a passion for creating unique work, I specialize in evocative sonic storytelling in different landscapes, such as musical theater, film/tv, and concert halls. My journey in the music industry has been a blend of creativity, collaboration, and opportunity. Whether I am composing an original musical, or a score for a client or director, I always deliver cool stuff (or so I like to think.)
HOW I GOT HERE
Well, my path in music making has been anything but conventional. It started with a love of piano at a young age. I would conduct as I watched Leonard Bernstein play his orchestra, and soon learned to play the piano. My parents (not musicians,) had one that they thought looked nice in their living room, but this old wooden box was like a palace to me. After begging to learn and ultimately learning most from doing, I immersed myself in the vibrant New York City music scene. Over the years, I have had the fortune of working with renowned artists and directors, each experience shaping my approach. From Tony and Grammy Award winners, to leading high-profile projects myself, every step has been a building block, with some being heavier to carry than others.
Background and Education
I sharpened my tools and learned over the years mostly with apprenticeships, and working with other talented people. I have done months-long apprenticeships with Stew (Passing Strange, The Total Bent), Nick Littlemore (Empire of the Sun, Pnau,) and have gotten to collaborate with some great artists such as Jon Batiste, Latasha, Akinyemi, and companies like GSK, Coca-Cola, and S. Pelligrino. I also have studied formally under some of the great masters of music sound engineering, but also just learnt a lot from Youtube.
But the benefit of a traditional musical education does not escape me, and I have also studied piano with many great teachers and pianists, like Taylor Eigsti, George Cables, and Jason Moran. I hold a Bachelor's from The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music where I transferred from Berklee School of Music. Making records and having shows, however, has always reigned supreme in my learning.
Career Beginnings
I started out as a jazz pianist after being frustrated with the limits of classical music education. Then, after listening to Jimi Hendrix, and the music of the 60's and 70's and some of the new Rock groups coming up in the early 2000's, I started playing shows with original songs. I began too organizing bands and playing events for the likes of MOMA, The Met, and other foundation fundraisers. It was then that I recorded an album called "in Persona," which I turned into a song cycle performed at several venues around the city, and got some good crowds.
At the end of college, a friend of my mom's had heard my piano playing for fun at a fellow 13 year old Hebrew School-Sufferer friend's Bar Mitzvah (true story, and I mean, like, Chopin and Gershwin,) and this mom turned out to be related to a Platinum-Selling music producer. At the time, Empire of the Sun had just had a Number 1 with "Walking on a Dream." So, go figure! My love for music production grew from there, and I now own and operate a music studio in Williamsburg where I collaborate with artists, write musicals, and get hired to score Nicotine Gum commercials.
current projects
I'm working on three different projects: an adaptation of a song cycle I developed with Henry Hey (Lazarus) called "Baby Blue," which is an evocative work following a young person in a break from reality, "Leopold's Last Dance," a love story (I'll leave it there,) and have a full-length musical being staged called "Luxury Problems," a satire about the 1 percent and a love letter to Manhattan. In my free time, I try and play with my cats Princess Bagels and Bernie. I also work when I can on other composing work through my label Tuner.
Snapshot
A quick glance at some of me in action.