I started classical piano lessons at an early age, growing up on the prairies. Long, cold winters encouraged an exploration of blues, pop, folk and funk; additional tools—guitar, bass, drums, and voice—became extensions of my creative spirit. We jammed in garages, barnlofts and basement rec rooms. These places were the breeding grounds for expansion into a multitude of styles. In 2006, after 12 years of formal music education, a handful of recordings and performances with Manitoba alt-folk outfit Buick 6 and groove-machine The Hummers, session work with numerous artists, and musical accompaniment for live improv theatre, I moved to Montreal to study jazz with Jean Beaudet and Wray Downes at Concordia University, where I graduated with honors. Post-grad work included jazz trio noodling on cruise ships, top40 band circuits in Asia & the Middle East, piano teaching, scoring for multimedia projects and corporate event entertainment for such companies as Universal Canada, Rogers, DKD, Xerox, and HMV. Since moving to Vancouver in early 2010, I’ve been busy working as a private instructor, and doing solo jazz piano/voice gigs at high end downtown restaurants and hotels.