A native of Philadelphia and a denizen of California for 13 years before I moved to Arkansas, I joined the Ozarks faculty in 1996 and am still happy to be teaching here. I love the small school environment with its strong sense of community and enjoy teaching music to majors and non-majors alike.
Besides serving as University organist and staff accompanist, I teach a variety of courses: music history, global music, Ozarks Seminar, study abroad courses, choral ensemble, and–my favorite subject–film music: Movie Music, Music of Star Wars, Music of Harry Potter, Music of the Lord of the Rings, Music and Science Fiction, Music and Fantasy, Music and Animation, and others. (Note: John Williams of Star Wars fame is my favorite composer and my DVD collection is organized by composer rather than by film title). I indulge my love of film music annually by staging an All Hallows’ Eve concert in the University chapel, filled with songs, choral pieces, and organ arrangements of movie favorites suited to the season.
Although music is at the center of what I do at Ozarks and my three academic degrees are in music (B.M., M.M. from Westminster Choir College and PhD from Stanford University), I strive to live a full life defined, not just by my work, but by all forms of beauty and imagination. Living in the south has turned me into a committed gardener with 24 raised beds of vegetables on my front lawn and lots of flowers. I am an avid consumer of science fiction/fantasy novels and films, an enthusiastic traveler, hiker, and photographer, as well as a lover of art museums and architecture. Finally, I share my household with an orange tabby cat named Leia, a stray taken in when she was about 6 months old, who also brings beauty, imagination, and affection into my world.
