Though I was born in Ithaca, New York, I grew up primarily in Madison, Wisconsin.  I went to Shorewood Hills Elementary where I began taking strings class enthusiastically in the 5th grade, playing on my great great grandfather's violin.  My first strings teacher was Margaret Pichart. I went to Van Hise Middle School (now Velma Hamilton) and was taught there by Vicki Swedish.  At Edgewood High School I played in the string ensemble under the direction of Dennis McKinley.  I participated in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras for 6 years during middle and high school.  I studied the violin privately with Eva Szekeley, Sharan Leventhal, Nan Steffans and Thomas Moore.

After high school I followed my teacher Tom Moore to the University of Miami, Coral Gables where I studied violin performance.  I returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I graduated with a BA in violin performance, studying with Vartan Manoogian.  During my college years I performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and at American Players Theatre in Spring Green.  After graduating I traveled to Europe and took auditions, eventually landing a job in the City Orchestra of Barcelona, Spain.  After a year in Barcelona, I performed with the Orquesta Filharmonica de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands for 2 more years before returning home to Madison.

For a time I freelanced and taught private lessons, and then began a Master's degree in Spanish Literature in order to strengthen and maintain my newly acquired knowledge of the Spanish language.  As a TA I discovered my great love for teaching and continued teaching as a lecturer of Spanish at University of Illinois-Chicago after receiving my MA.  After a time, I returned to school to acquire a teaching certificate in music, deciding I would prefer teaching strings to Spanish, where, instead of culminating with a final exam, final projects end more joyfully with a concert.

I have been teaching in the Monona Grove district since 2001, first at Cottage Grove School, next at Winnequah Middle School and now at Glacial Drumlin School.  Besides teaching, I perform with the Camerata String Quartet, which primarily plays for weddings and special occasions.  I am a proud member of Monona Grove's new community orchestra which gives concerts in the summer at Winnequah Park's Gazebo.  

I have one son, Liam, who is an 8th grader and plays violin, saxophone and drums at Glacial Drumlin School.  My 88 year old father, Don, also lives with us in our house in Monona.  We have a black Cock-a-poo named Puka and a brown tabby cat named Roxy.

Besides teaching I love to travel; go to concerts, plays and movies; take yoga and other movement classes, go out to dinner, read, take photographs; ride my bike in beautiful weather; archive family history; and, of course, play the violin.