UC San Diego

This dissertation examines the ways that my formal training and education as a percussionist have provided a logical foundation for three separate vectors of activity in my professional life: conducting, teaching and curating. The document aims to demonstrate the unexpected ways that lessons on instruments historically considered to be at the periphery of classical music culture have provided me with a unique perspective on this art form’s past, present and future. I describe my background and its effect on my recent activities as a conductor (both of classical and avant-garde repertory), my philosophies as a lecturer in percussion at the California Institute of the Arts, and my sensibilities as the artistic director of Monday Evening Concerts in Los Angeles.