musician
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Frauenliebe und Leben: “Der Ring”

Nearly three years ago, I performed Robert Schumann’s stunningly beautiful Frauenliebe und Leben (translated “A Woman’s Life and Love”) for the first time. I say “for the first time” because this is a song cycle that I hope to perform over and over again for the rest of my life; composed to represent key moments Continue reading
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Theology of Worship Panel – Part 2

I had the absolute joy of speaking on music-making, spiritual formation, and worship last night at Redemption Church Arcadia. It was such a fruitful time of sharing my thesis on musical practice as spiritual formation and then discussing how this factors into congregational worship. You can watch and listen here (slides included below): “There is Continue reading
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Theology of Worship Panel – Part 1

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to collaborate with some fantastic musician-theologians to present a panel on theology of worship/music. Follow the link below to watch/listen and, as always, feel free to share your thoughts! We will be continuing our discussion next week at the same link. https://youtu.be/PVd4U9EmdCg Continue reading
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A Blessing for Identity

May I never say I was once a singer,But only ever that I was and am. And may I never say I was a runner, But only that my racing just began. And may I never be a former writer,But know instead my story has no endThan that I may be now, always and ever, Continue reading
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Rejoice, the Lord is King: Feeling Follows Action

Today, I felt like the human equivalent of an eye roll. I’m usually a morning person who hops out of bed and goes on a refreshing run before savouring a second cup of coffee. Today, it took everything just to get up and get out the door. After several months of intense stress, my body Continue reading
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A Lesson in Time

I posed for this picture without really putting much thought into the words on the wall. Right now, I am where I want to be: at home, writing in my favorite spot with snickerdoodles in the oven. At the same time, though, I am still caught in the in-between. This weekend, I will visit a Continue reading
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Schumann’s Arabeske: A Musical Love Letter

It is my conviction that one must fall in love to play Schumann well. I did not at first enjoy practicing his Arabeske, Op. 18; while I understood the piece theoretically, I did not truly understand it emotionally or spiritually until I, like the composer, fell in love. Then, all at once, its nuances and Continue reading
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Modulations

A modulation is a “change from one key to another in a piece of music.” Seems simple enough. Often they are, and, being a rather lazy songwriter, I’m a huge fan of a common-tone modulation, where a single note is sufficient to transpose one key into another, often in a single beat. Right now, though, Continue reading
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Cross Training: A Lenten Reflection

I am a runner and, although I’m not going to win for speed any time soon, I am satisfied in my steadily-increasing pace. As odd as it sounds, I credit much of this consistency to my shoes. A devout patron of Brooks, I am more than a little happy with my pairs of their “Ghost” Continue reading
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To an Old Piano on the Roadside

They were going to throw me away, Out with the rubbish bin. I, who you used to play, When you were small children. . Did it not mean much to you? The scales we learned together? Maybe if I were shiny, new, I’d be kept out of the weather. . But moving on is hard; Continue reading
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