Artist Statement

I am alive.

 

As a living composer, I view my work as ever-evolving and subject to change. I believe if a better solution for an existing piece is found, I will change it because I am alive to do so. A change or update is a celebration of the fact that I am alive and have the agency to change my work for the better. When I write, every note is negotiable. For every piece, I do not consider a piece simply “mine,” but “ours” – and that “ours” extends to every person who performs it. My work is not a statue. My work exists in moments, and moments are always happening anew.

I am forever a student.

 

I am always learning and am eager to admit gaps in my knowledge or awareness. I am grateful to those who take the time to share their expertise to help me grow, and for collaborators who are patient as I learn -- but I will gladly pass on opportunities as appropriate to those who are better suited for certain projects. I am excited by learning how others approach their creative work – musicians or otherwise. I will listen, I will ask questions when it is welcomed, and I will spend my life learning.

Music does not need to justify itself.

 

While I believe music has the power to bridge, question, highlight, evoke, provoke, comfort, reveal, confront, devastate, and heal—I also believe that sometimes a piece about chickens is just a piece about chickens. I do not believe music must have an extramusical agenda or specific goal in order to be valuable. I believe the value of performing or listening to a piece of music is solely the discretion of the person who experiences it; I do not believe in an objective “good” or “bad,” but I do delight in discussing why certain aspects of a piece may work for some listeners and not others. I believe that there is a listener for every piece.

I believe that art is pivotal, but art-making is secondary to wellness.

 

I do not believe self-harm should be a part of the artistic process. While art-making can be therapeutic and self-affirming, I do not believe trauma is a necessary vehicle for great art-making. I do not support the romanticization of “the tortured artist.” I want art-makers to have access to healthy and timely resources when they are in need of emotional, mental, financial, professional, or physical assistance. I do my best work when I am well-rested, financially secure, loved and supported by my family and community—and when my collaborators feel similarly supported and cared for. I believe in taking breaks from art-making when it begins to encourage self-harming behaviors. I believe art will always be there to greet us when we are ready to return to it.

I believe access to music and music-making is a human right.

 

I believe that music is a fundamental tie to one’s community, culture, and individual identity—and that barriers to this access (incarceration, censorship, bigotry, erasure, white supremacy, and financial barriers, to name a few) are inhumane. I will continue to create projects and opportunities with my own work that encourage community-focused programming, accessible collaborative experiences, and foster placemaking for underserved and underrepresented voices. I will use my time as an artist and a human being to fight against practices, policies, laws, behaviors, and attitudes that make music and music-making inaccessible.