I first became serious about music when I threatened to drop out of high school and wait tables to support my musical endeavors. Fortunately, Mom enrolled me in the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. to prevent that from happening. I studied classical and jazz piano there and my development was supplemented by studying with a concert pianist from Vienna and accomplished jazz pianists at the Levine School of Music. Davey Yarborough was my greatest mentor then and I am eternally grateful for his guidance and inspiration.

The strong musical foundation built during my adolescence served me well. I won first and second prizes at local competitions and played enough gigs in high school to not have to get a part time job. In the end, I got a nearly-full scholarship to study music at Loyola University in New Orleans.

Initially, jazz was my major, but I later opted classical piano performance. It just didn't seem right to study jazz in an academic setting.  There were ample opportunities to play in various musical settings at Loyola and I played as much as I could. I also sang with a select chorus and in the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans, performing major works with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

It was during my undergraduate studies that I found my love for composition. I loved playing my friend's works and they inspired me to compose my own music. During this time, I composed works for solo piano, voice, and piano trio. I first tried my hand at electronic composition by taking an electronic music course and composing a multi-media piece with music and video. (It amazes me how long it took me to do then what would only take me a few hours to do now!)

After graduating, I taught piano in northern Iceland for a year (brrr... but what pretty lights in the sky!). When I returned to the US, I continued my studies by earning my Master of Music in Piano Performance from Catholic University, studying closely with Marilyn Neeley, to whom I owe much of my confidence as a pianist.