Little did I know in 2002 when I walked into my “Introduction to Afro-Peruvian Music” class with Monica Rojas on my first day of grad school at the UW that I would still be making music with her 20+ years later!!

Raised as a classically trained cellist and pipe organist, I developed a deep fascination with the music of non-western cultures during my undergraduate studies at Syracuse University. In my senior year of college, I had the privilege of visiting a friend living in Seattle who was pursuing her master’s degree in ethnomusicology at UW, and I was hooked. I picked up everything and moved from my home state of Connecticut, took a job teaching orchestra and choir at a public middle school in Seattle, and began my Pacific Northwest adventure.

My original intent was to pursue a master’s degree in Ethnomusicology, but after a few years of teaching realized that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. Coming from a mostly-white New England town, I have always felt that my perspective in life is very limited. Over the years I have yearned for ways to get out of the security of my life of privilege, and being a part of DE CAJóN Project has been a large part of that exploration for me.

I have been playing with Monica and Jabali for the better part of the last 20 years, and I am hoping that I will continue to do so for another 20 years in the future.