My Story

Music has been a means to express myself throughout my life. I am thankful to God, who gave me a talent that I was able to develop from a young age, and for dedicated, demanding piano teachers and supportive parents who encouraged me to work hard and enabled me to have many fulfilling musical opportunities throughout my formative years. After high school, I moved to New York City, where I attended the Juilliard School for six years and completed a Bachelors and a Masters degree. My experience there proved to be an expansion of my knowledge and a challenging refinement of my capabilities on the piano. Through superb tutelage, exacting demands, and rewarding, valuable opportunities, I was stretched and shaped. I am grateful for the privilege of performing with orchestras and in renowned concert halls, of associating with brilliant musicians, and of endeavors and honors that have brought me great joy. Not only did I grow musically through my experiences at Juilliard, but I also found that my relationship with God deepened tremendously. I earnestly desired to come to know Him, and through study and prayer, and the necessity to rely on my faith, I received strength, capacity, and a deep testimony throughout an intense, demanding time in my life.

I left New York City with my husband Nate, closing a hallowed chapter in our lives with gratitude and looking forward to a new adventure: medical school and parenthood. Our first son, Grant, was born during our first year of medical school, and during the eleven years of training that followed, we welcomed Jack, Caroline, and finally Ruby into our family– born on Nate’s very last day of medical residency in Philadelphia.

Becoming a mother changed me. It shifted my perspective. Suddenly, life wasn’t all about me. There is a holiness that accompanies the everyday sacrifices of motherhood. It is mostly hard work, with quietly glorious rewards that cannot compare to any accolades, honors, or praise of the world. I fervently echo the sentiments of the late President Gordon B. Hinckley, former Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who said that “remarkable qualities find their truest and most satisfying expression through motherhood.” It is through my family and my children that I have learned the most powerful lessons of love, of sacrifice, of pain, and of joy. Becoming a mother has made me a better musician. I have less time to devote to musical pursuits, but a deeper, more wholehearted palette from which to express and create. I find that my capacities are increased in the consecrated, limited time I find to dedicate to music, and my efforts at the piano yield a refreshment of my energy and my reserves.

I continue to find deep satisfaction in stretching myself to learn new repertoire, perform as a soloist, and collaborate with other musicians. However, my most profound fulfillment has come as I have been able to express my testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ through the creation of my own music. I have come to realize that this is the greatest desire of my heart, and the reason for which I have been given a musical talent. I express my gratitude to God, who is the giver of all gifts, and whose gifts are given for the purpose of serving others. It is my fervent hope that my offering of music will refresh the soul and give glory to God.