Contact

I offer private lessons to students of all ages, on a variety of subjects. These include:

viola performance (advanced students only)
As a member of the viola faculty of The Juilliard School Pre-College Division from 2001-2013, I worked with many outstanding advanced viola students who are now pursuing exceptional careers, both in the music world and beyond. In the summer of 2013, I moved to Portland, Oregon, where I am the Viola Instructor at Portland State University School of Music and Theater and at Reed College. At this time, I am currently accepting inquiries from only the most serious, dedicated viola students in the Portland area for private instruction.

composition/ theory (beginner to advanced, all ages)
Available to composers of all levels of experience interested in expanding their palette of compositional choices. Topics include the study of theory, counterpoint, harmony, orchestration, contemporary music techniques, and the study of influential 20th and 21st century repertoire.

improvisation (intermediate to advanced, all ages)
Adapted from my group workshops, including those at Mark O'Connor's Strings Conferences, these sessions are offered to violin or viola players who already have at least basic fluency on their instrument, but are interested in developing their ability to play without written music, in styles ranging from folk/blues/Americana based playing to avant-garde, experimental improv. These lessons are designed to address each student's specific goals for adding elements of improvisation to his or her performance skills.

All lessons are conducted at my home studio in SW Portland, Oregon, unless otherwise arranged. Please contact me directly using the following form to discuss rates.

If you are interested in booking me for a for performance, tour, workshop, or residency, I am available in the following configurations:

Solo viola
I've developed an hour-long set appropirate for both small clubs and recital halls, featuring selections from my CD Unleashed! as well as more recent, unpublished works, unexpected covers, and spontaneous improvisations with input from the audience. These events are intimate and informal and appropriate for all ages.

Soloist with orchestra
I am available to appear as viola soloist in the following works of mine:
The Devil's Box - my concerto for amplified viola and chamber orchestra.
Verso- my double concerto for solo violin, solo viola, harpsichord, and string orchestra.
Cookbook- an orchestrated version of my work for viola and piano (originally clarinet and piano).

...as well as these standard viola concerti:
Bartók 
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante (with violin soloist)
Schnittke 
Bloch Suite (1919)

Duo with Monica Ohuchi, piano
Pianist Monica Ohuchi (also my wife!) and I tour extensively with several different programs, combining my original music with classics of the viola/piano repertoire. We also present a workshop discussing our collaboration on “Monica’s Notebook,” my cycle of 12 performance etudes for solo piano Monica has recently recorded. 

Fear No Music
I serve as the Artistic Director of Fear No Music, a non-profit new music performance and advocacy group in Portland, Oregon. Now in our 33rd season, we specialize in music by living composers from the Pacific Northwest as well as leading voices from around the world, with an emphasis on composers of diverse gender, race, age, background, and country of origin. Our core ensemble is string quartet, piano, clute, and percussion. For more information, please visit www.fearnomusic.org

Citigrass (bluegrass band)
Culled from the burgeoning NYC bluegrass scene, Citigrass is a band I’ve performed with for close to 20 years as a founding member. We present both traditional songs from the folk and bluegrass canon, as well as originals and unexpected bluegrass treatments of current pop hits. If you're interested in booking Citigrass, please visit Citigrass