Photo by Gigi Andujal
About
Writing music through the lens of a queer existence…
Over the last 20 years I have gained an eclectic collection of experience in music, social justice work, and coffee geekery.
Experiencing the world as a transgender man has shaped my view of music’s role in the world. Music is how we express the emotions that are too complex for words and too big to be kept silent inside our hearts and minds. Music can influence the way we perceive a story, can change the context of a film, inspires us to dance, brings us to tears, and taps into emotions we may not have even known we were holding on to. The power of music, and of all art forms, puts it in a unique place for supporting social justice causes.
When I initially went to college my intention was to get my degree in music and establish myself as a contemporary classical composer and to work in dance, film, video games, and other forms of media. But when I came out as transgender in 2012 I did not see anyone in the arts who was transgender. I believed that my future in music was over, that nobody would take a transgender person seriously, and so I chose to leave the music department. I had gotten deeply involved in the LGBTQ community on my campus and decided to get a degree in Political Science and focus my career in activism.
Shortly after graduating music began calling to me again. Now there were transgender artists out there with successful careers in their field and I began to understand the importance of art in activism and social change. And so I returned to music with the goal of using music to challenge listeners and the world to grow into a more equitable and compassionate society.
Today I am an award winning composer writing music for film, TV, theatre, dance, multi-disciplinary productions, and contemporary classical musicians and ensembles.