Hearing Alexis’ concerts at Symphony Center and seeing her excitement inspired me to get involved. My experience in this program was very unique and filled with many wonderful memories. My first year, I was the pianist and had the opportunity to solo with the orchestra during a summer tour of Italy. By my second year, I had become interested in percussion and spent that year as percussionist in the orchestra. It was during these two years that I realized how inspiring making music with a good orchestra was and how much fun I had doing it. Touring Italy and England on separate occasions gave me a taste of what it was like traveling to foreign places and seeing audiences thrilled by our playing.

Knowing that I wanted to do this for a living, I went on to study at New England Conservatory of Music as a percussion performance major. I continued to learn about ensemble playing and sought out as many performance opportunities as I could. After graduating from NEC, I pursued a graduate degree at DePaul University where I spent two years playing in the percussion section of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, while also substituting with the Chicago Symphony on several occasions. It was around this time that I truly realized how hard you had to work to obtain a position in a professional orchestra. It was going to take a lot of dedication, mind-numbing work and faith that it was all going to work out. That was the most important thing I learned -- faith. For some, success comes very quickly and at a young age, but for most, it takes patience and perseverance. I was fortunate to win a position in the New World Symphony as my second year of graduate work came to a close. This was the first time I really got to feel the exhilaration of my hard work paying off at an audition.

I spent four years in Miami playing with the New World Symphony, working closely with Michael Tilson Thomas, who thoroughly enjoys being an inspiration on the podium. I felt like I was finally in a place where I had to bring my best playing and efforts to the stage everyday instead of once or twice a week. That was a challenge I enjoyed immensely and something I had to get used to for the future. Since the musicians’ time in NWS is limited to just three or four years, you really feel like your back is against the wall to win a job before your time there is up. So I was faced with figuring out how to tailor my playing in such a way as to convince a screened jury that I was the right person for the job. Most orchestra auditions will have anywhere from thirty to one hundred talented players show up for one position and it is tough to make yourself stand out. After a lot of traveling, nationally and internationally, to and from twelve auditions and coming close on a number of occasions, things finally worked out in my favor. I am now living in Stockholm, playing in the Orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera, and feeling fortunate that I am able to make a living doing what I love.