In my life, I have been fortunate to ride on the backs of mentors who had incredible vision and admirable work ethic. Because of them, rarely have I felt the need to create my own musical path or seek opportunities to perform. Where I’ve lacked vision and direction at times, opportunities have come knocking…to music-direct my first mainstage theater production in the 90s; to take part in several world premieres; to perform in the world-class Benaroya Hall…
I met my husband in 2004 playing volleyball with our singles’ group from church. When we began dating we were both tired of the dating “game” and dove straight into sharing our visions for our futures. My husband is an entrepreneur and had all kinds of ideas for inventions and businesses. I had one idea: becoming a stay-at-home mom and doing music. With God’s direction and blessing, we married and set out to make our dreams come true.
I have been inspired big-time by my husband. He did not have opportunities “come to him” as I did; instead, he has always set out to create his own opportunities. (As I’ve witnessed this over the years of our marriage, I have come to realize that all of my musical mentors did the same thing!) His vision and discipline in the business sector have taught me a lot about accomplishing big dreams. When he asked my dad for permission for my hand, my dad told him to not let me “let go” of my music, and he has taken that seriously. Because of him, I began pursuing a choral accompanying position…and ended up playing for my beloved Kirkland Choral Society. Because of him, I have a dedicated “piano room” in my home where I can practice and rehearse with other musicians. Because of him, we have hosted house concerts for the past five years, where all kinds of musician friends have come and filled our house with music.
This year I decided to make some waves in my musical journey by working on a CD project – my first solo classical piano CD – as a way to celebrate a milestone birthday and to share my music with friends and family. My vision is to record some of my favorite music on my beautiful Vogel piano in my living room. This time I am not waiting for someone to plan this project for me. I am not expecting anyone to invite me to record. I am dreaming a big dream and pushing to find ways for it to happen. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!