Resume - Bio

RESUME - BIO

Please click here to download a pdf of my current resume..

FORMAL EDUCATION
Master of Music Degree: (Scholarship recipient) The New England Conservatory; Boston, MA
Bachelor of Music Degree: (Trombone Performance) with Distinction, San Diego State University
Certificate with Professional Designation in Filmscoring: UCLA Extension's 10-quarter Filmscoring Program, including studio conducting (with Oscar-winner Ernest Gold), composition (Oscar-nominee Gerald Fried), and orchestration (Jerrold Immel)
Completion of both BMI's (Earle Hagen) and ASCAP's (Fred Karlin) Filmscoring Programs
Post-Graduate Study (conducting): with legendary bandmaster Dr. Frederick Fennell, California State University, Fullerton (Extension)
and...
“The University of Adversity”
Through many years of playing in the low brass sections of symphony orchestras, and while counting literally millions of bars of rests, I've had a chance to work under and carefully watch hundreds of superb (and not) practicioners of conducting and listen to thousands of hours of dismantled and reassembled orchestration, the finest education in those two arts to be found anywhere.
FAST FACTS
Born: On a Friday the 13th, in Philadelphia, PA
Hair color: Brown.
Eye color: Brown.
Underwear color (after my first recital): Brown.
Current residence: The People's Republic of Santa Monica, CA.
Pets: Love ‘em!
Currently: Bambi (dog) a 2-year-old, 3 lb., 3 oz. Yorky-Chihuahua mix.
Instruments played professionally: The whole orchestra (conductor,) tenor & bass trombone, double-bell euphonium, tuba, sackbutt (Google it!,) baritone sax, tenor recorder, keyboards.
Childhood ambition: To be an astronaut.
Semi-early ambition: To be a pop-rock star in the horn section of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Next ambition: Ditto, only for Tower of Power.
Next ambition: To be a symphonic trombone player, but eventually that wasn’t enough...
And then?: To be a working orchestrator and conductor, but it still wasn’t enough...
And after THAT?: To compose (don’t forget about Tower of Power, though...)
First song played: “Heart & Soul,” on the piano. (didn't everybody?)
First public performance: (off the record, right?) Tap dancing, in the 2nd grade.
Musical influences: Mahler, Holst, BS&T, Alfred Newman/John Williams/Jerry Goldsmith/Ennio Morricone
Hobbies: Football handicapping, poker, cooking, making sushi, crossword puzzles, classic television.
Favorite classic TV show: The Dick Van Dyke Show (so it was a real treat to eventually study film music synchronization issues with the show’s composer, Earl Hagen.)
Favorite food: Yes.
Most memorable event(s): Conducting my own music at our wedding, playing with our rock band (and getting paid!) at my own senior prom, and then reuniting and jamming with that same band at my 50th birthday party.
Coolest gig: Performing the Beatles’ entire “White Album” with San Diego’s mega-Beatles-tribute show band, Rockola and symphony orchestra. All orchestral arrangements were transcribed, orchestrated and conducted by me (including the bizarre forward and backward tape loops of “Revolution 9”) as well as playing the euphonium solo on “Bungalow Bill.” A night to remember! (I only wish I could...)
Favorite sports team: The San Diego Chargers.
What, no baseball?: Nope, can't get into the game, since (a) the strike zone is as flexible as silly-putty and therefore as meaningless as Olympic figure skating scores, (b) outside of the infield, the playing fields are nonstandard, (c) all things being equal, big-market teams can financially dominate small-market teams, and (d) out of a typical 3-hour game, there are statistically less than 10 minutes of real action.
Favorite hockey team: The 1980 Olympic American men's hockey team. After that, are you kidding?
Least favorite Olympic sports: Team handball (soccer using hands,) water polo (soccer in a pool,) lacrosse (soccer with rackets,) field hockey (soccer with sticks,) synchronized anything, rhythmic gymnastics (ballet with props,) and equestrian events (the horse does the work and the rider gets the medal.)