A Learning in

Improvisation

As a performer, primarily as a musician, I have been engaged in approaching the whole stage.

Approaching the whole stage involves using as broad a spectrum of artistic presentation as available to engage audiences as fully as possible. And, as a result, I have brought a theatrical perspective to my work. In collaboration I continue to work with artists in a range of disciplines—theater, visual, dance and poetics. This is a direct result of what has moved me as an audience member, “all the food on the same plate,” and what I have observed in others from the stage or in the audience. We want to be stimulated. We want performances that require that we bring as much of our whole being as possible: eyes and ears, right and left brain, heart and mind, soul. As an artist, I am constantly looking for ways to engage myself and others on a deeper level.

I include poetry in my work because I feel it complements the music and adds a level of complexity for audiences. In performance, I work with structures that allow the widest palette for improvisation, and I develop improvisations that can in turn develop into unexpected compositions. My art is integral to how I move in the world. My music illustrates my preference for “beginner’s mind,” the willingness to approach each context anew. We learn and grow through art. I believe in preparing for the learning that abounds in the spectrum of artistic encounters, which are our life contexts, the situations in which we find ourselves.