Bio

I never really had a knack for a "social life" and instead spent most of my time lost in games and books, or out in the woods near my home using my imagination to place myself in the role of my favorite characters.

I grew up in the big state of Texas and first began my journey in music around the age of 8. My parents purchased a toy keyboard for me and I immediately began to pick out melodies, chord progressions, and was basically inseparable from the toy so they put me in piano lessons at 9. Within a year I was playing massive pieces of Beethoven, Chopin, and many others. Being dyslexic and hyperactive, I didn't learn to sight-read until college. Instead, my piano teacher would hum the parts of the pieces to me or play them and I would copy. I would take any opportunity to join in with the adults and improvise in jam bands and I even played for weddings and a festival in my hometown.

At 13 I picked up a guitar and taught myself to play. My first band was formed in my early teens. I'd go through several bands, often maintaining some of the same bandmates until eventually I was involved in a project that gained a lot of ground in my hometown and became a huge local success with our post-punk/progressive sound.

At 18 I started my formal music education, playing solo classical/spanish guitar, piano, and organ. I played with a popular guitar quartet that was formed in my junior college. That group afforded me an all expenses paid trip to play in many beautiful venues in and around Madrid, Spain.

Later, I received an offer of a scholarship and a spot on the faculty guitar quintet at The University of Texas at Dallas, where I received my Bachelor's in Art and Performance. I would frequently teach the guitar orchestra and take part in master classes and performances by some of the most prestigious modern performers. I also performed and learned under the composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez, while taking part in the Musica Nova program.

Though I'm primarily a composer, I also love to teach my students and occasionally perform. I've played and learned at many wonderful places across the globe, including performances on national Mexican television and in the palace at Aranjuez in Spain.  I've been composing every step of the way, even as young as 11 years old. I've had many jobs in my lifetime but only one dream that has persisted. Thank you for taking the time to hear my story and listen to my music!