Where are you from originally?
Old Tappan, New Jersey
How many years in the symphony?
39
Hobbies?
My main hobby is woodworking. I enjoy making furniture, decorative boxes and even conductor’s batons. I also very much enjoy traveling, hiking and nature. And I love to visit with my grandchildren!
Why do you think that classical music is still relevant?
Classical music is still relevant for the same reason many great works of literature are. Cyrano de Bergerac, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, King Lear, Hamlet etc. still remain very relevant to our modern lives because they tapped into subjects that are timeless and universal to the human experience- love, loss, dreams, hopes, good and evil. Times may change, but that which makes us essentially human does not. It is harder to explain what makes a piece of music timeless, or a composer “great”, but one criteria seems to be the test of time. Hundreds of years after their composition, millions of people are still moved by the music of Beethoven and Bach, Handel and Mozart, and many other composers throughout history. Many great creators of classical music may be long gone, but their craft and their messages remain very much alive, and very much relevant. Additionally, great classical music is still being composed today, and I believe much of it will still be very much appreciated long into the future.
Why did you become a professional musician?
For me, my job is literally a dream come true. From my first year of college it was my goal to get a job in a professional orchestra, and I have been lucky enough to have made it a life-long career. There is nothing like the feeling of playing great music with great musicians for a wonderful audience. It is an amazing experience to be part of something so much larger than ourselves. Through collaboration and communication, with bows or reeds, sticks or breath, we have the privilege of bringing back to life something so beautiful and so meaningful- GREAT MUSIC!