I am a Professor of Music at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University where I teach music theory and saxophone performance. I play soprano saxophone with the Globe Saxophone Quartet and I direct the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra. I frequently travel to China as a Guest Artist-Teacher at the Sichuan Conservatory of Classical Music. I earned music degrees from Iowa State University (BM) and the University of Georgia (MM, DMusA).
I started studying violin at the age of 10. When we moved to a small farm community without an orchestra, I learned to play tuba and euphonium with the band, and joined the jazz band on electric guitar. But in 8th grade I took home a dusty tenor saxophone from the band room closet which began my love of the saxophone. Before I graduated high school I had won over 20 first place medals and superior ratings becoming the winningest Iowa high school musician at that time. I accepted the job at SOU in 1996 and moved to Oregon. I met my wife Amy, a stage manager, while performing with As You Like It at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I am a proud Selmer Artist Clinician.