As a composer with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder), medical advocacy is the cornerstone of all my work in musical theater and beyond. In addition to telling my own story, I seek out and then tell the stories of other disabled or chronically ill people who are going through impossible life circumstances, but nevertheless find meaning – or more powerfully yet, decide to make meaning – out of suffering and tragedy. In a society where illness is too often a taboo subject, these types of stories are frequently untold and unheard, even though fully half of all American adults suffer with at least one chronic illness. Through my work, I hope to help facilitate conversations about such important topics – to speak both to and for my disabled kindred spirits, and to make the invisible visible (and audible).
Musically, my compositions tend to combine the melodic, harmonic, and orchestral elements of my years of classical training, mixed with a more contemporary musical theater and/or pop-rock feel to make my music accessible and enjoyable to as many people as possible. I am as influenced by Tchaikovsky as I am by Jonathan Larson, and as much by Amy Lee and My Chemical Romance as by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alex Lacamoire. I blend elements of whichever genres seem to best fit an individual song (and the greater show as a whole), and therefore see my musical style as being fluid and ever-evolving, with a strong focus on serving the stories and characters above all.
