From working in-depth and long-term on chamber music in high school, to writing a concerto for string quartet and orchestra in college, to quite recently being on my first panel (!), New York Youth Symphony has been a remarkable constant in my musical life, giving me the chance to try many things for the first time. All of these have turned out to be cornerstones of my professional life as a composer and pianist. Chamber music is my home—it’s the majority of what I write, and much of what I perform. Sometimes, when I’m coaching a group playing one of my pieces, I’ll think back to my year in NYYS, working with Pamela Frank, Lisa Tipton, or Fred Sherry—and to something big being slowly revealed to me.
I’m continually inspired by their work as an institution, and by how effectively it seems to reach and help so many musicians at various stages of their lives.