Biography
I am passionate arts education leader with a demonstrated commitment to equity and accessibility. My broad experience as a leader, educator and entrepreneur includes work in community education, K-12 education, and higher education.
As an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas (UST), I teach a course on music and culture at Dougherty Family College (DFC). I incorporate Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and explore a diverse range of music traditions, from Contemporary Commercial Music to Western European Art Music, with emphasis on lyric theater and hybrid music genres within the African diaspora.
I teach voice lessons in the Music Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, where I support artists in becoming confident performers whose vocal technique serves their individual sound and artistry. I have successfully worked with artists in a variety of genres. My students can be seen performing professionally throughout the U.S.
I attended the University of Minnesota and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Italian Studies. I graduated from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Music, Vocal Performance concentration. Recently, I achieved the status of doctoral graduand in the UST School of Education’s Educational Leadership program. My dissertation, entitled "Mixed People, Mixed Music: Hybrid Contemporary Commercial Music Genres and the Multiethnic Artists Who Create Them," studied the experiences and contributions of multiethnic artists working in the contemporary commercial music industry. I successfully defended my dissertation in April 2022 and will graduate with honors in May 2022.
In May 2021, I was invited to join the University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board (CAB). The University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board (CAB) meets monthly to discuss the progress of authorized schools and makes recommendations to the Dean of the School of Education. The board works in conjunction with the program staff who serve as primary contacts for authorized schools. The current Charter Accountability Board brings together experts in school finance, accounting, gifted and special education, general education and governance from across the various colleges and schools of the University of St. Thomas.
In March 2021, I co-facilitated a Dean’s Forum presentation with Dr. Aura Wharton-Beck on her recent research on African American “Government Girls” and the implications for educators of students of color. The UST Dean’s Forum is a series of talks hosted by the School of Education to explore issues related to race and education. I have also presented to various audiences at the University of St. Thomas, the Perpich Center’s Equity Through the Arts Conference, and the Annual Ethnographic & Qualitative Research Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Presentation topics have included reggaetón and race, realism and nationalism in 19th century opera, women opera composers in 17th century Italian city-states, anti-racist teaching practices, and addressing equity in the classroom with creativity.
As a performing artist, I believe it is time to tell new stories and expand the American operatic and art song canon. My performance credits include operatic productions with Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Minnesota Opera, and the Lakes Area Music Festival, and recitals and concerts with the Orlando Philharmonic, MacPhail Spotlight Series, Thursday Musical, and the An die Musik “Live! Concert Series.”
To learn about my professional work, or to contact me, please click the buttons below.
As an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas (UST), I teach a course on music and culture at Dougherty Family College (DFC). I incorporate Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and explore a diverse range of music traditions, from Contemporary Commercial Music to Western European Art Music, with emphasis on lyric theater and hybrid music genres within the African diaspora.
I teach voice lessons in the Music Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, where I support artists in becoming confident performers whose vocal technique serves their individual sound and artistry. I have successfully worked with artists in a variety of genres. My students can be seen performing professionally throughout the U.S.
I attended the University of Minnesota and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Italian Studies. I graduated from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Music, Vocal Performance concentration. Recently, I achieved the status of doctoral graduand in the UST School of Education’s Educational Leadership program. My dissertation, entitled "Mixed People, Mixed Music: Hybrid Contemporary Commercial Music Genres and the Multiethnic Artists Who Create Them," studied the experiences and contributions of multiethnic artists working in the contemporary commercial music industry. I successfully defended my dissertation in April 2022 and will graduate with honors in May 2022.
In May 2021, I was invited to join the University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board (CAB). The University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board (CAB) meets monthly to discuss the progress of authorized schools and makes recommendations to the Dean of the School of Education. The board works in conjunction with the program staff who serve as primary contacts for authorized schools. The current Charter Accountability Board brings together experts in school finance, accounting, gifted and special education, general education and governance from across the various colleges and schools of the University of St. Thomas.
In March 2021, I co-facilitated a Dean’s Forum presentation with Dr. Aura Wharton-Beck on her recent research on African American “Government Girls” and the implications for educators of students of color. The UST Dean’s Forum is a series of talks hosted by the School of Education to explore issues related to race and education. I have also presented to various audiences at the University of St. Thomas, the Perpich Center’s Equity Through the Arts Conference, and the Annual Ethnographic & Qualitative Research Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Presentation topics have included reggaetón and race, realism and nationalism in 19th century opera, women opera composers in 17th century Italian city-states, anti-racist teaching practices, and addressing equity in the classroom with creativity.
As a performing artist, I believe it is time to tell new stories and expand the American operatic and art song canon. My performance credits include operatic productions with Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Minnesota Opera, and the Lakes Area Music Festival, and recitals and concerts with the Orlando Philharmonic, MacPhail Spotlight Series, Thursday Musical, and the An die Musik “Live! Concert Series.”
To learn about my professional work, or to contact me, please click the buttons below.