Director

He was hired as the organist of Christ Church Calgary—whose choir is a regular guest at Westminster Abbey—despite having no formal organ training. He has developed a conflict resolution and negotiation workshop which he has shared with hundreds of young musicians through the Kennedy Center, San Francisco Conservatory, and the Association for Opera in Canada. He has always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

Earlier in his career he focused most of that entrepreneurial energy on learning to understand classical music more deeply. He performed across North America and China. He worked as an operatic and choral music director, a pianist,an organist, a vocal coach, an arranger, and composer.

But more recent events—starting with living in Richmond, Virginia following the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in nearby Charlottesville—have forced him to confront his position as a Black person working in classical music. He started reflecting on his own experiences with the white supremacy of classical music and institutions. He felt less and less comfortable continuing to engage with these institutions without also doing something tangible to change them.

This led him to create BIPOC Voices. Highlights of that project include creating the largest database of works for solo voice(s) and 2 or more instruments by BIPOC composers in the world, and the first-ever Canada-wide reports on how both orchestras and opera companies programmed equity-seeking composers.

He has recently transitioned to leading social impact work at the National Arts Centre Orchestra, including EDI, accessibility, environmental sustainability and community engagement.