My Story
"You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart." - Mstislav Rostropovich
An opportunity to volunteer in Costa Rica was a great adventure. At the community program based in Santa Ana, outside of the capital, students came from across the region. Exchanging ideas with other teachers, and developing my teaching approach with limited, but improving, Spanish, the experience broadened my outlook in many ways.
Moving to France, I settled in the cultural city of Lyon.
I was a member and soloist with the Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon under the baton of Jean‑Pierre Prajoux. The orchestra toured widely across the central southeast — from a moving performance of Mozart’s Requiem in the alpine village of Briançon to an unforgettable season of Étienne Perruchon’s Dogora at a packed Zénith in Clermont‑Ferrand.
Alongside my orchestral work I continued teaching, performed in small theatre productions, and spent my free time soaking up Lyon’s inspiring concert scene.
An experienced and passionate cellist, I come from a musical family and was lucky to have inspiring teachers from an early age — including several formative years with Coral Bognuda at the University of Auckland while I was still in high school.
During my studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Auckland I began teaching students of all ages and took every opportunity to perform: orchestras, solo recitals, theatre productions, and private events with the Silver Box String Quartet.
Shortly after gruadating, I spent several years living and working in Europe — in England I played with the Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra, joined local string quartets, and enjoyed a busy summer seasons performing at weddings and celebrations.
Since returning to New Zealand I’ve grown a busy teaching practice and perform regularly around Auckland.
I am a regular member of the Manukau Symphony Orchestra, also playing in a wide range of settings — solo recitals, theatre productions, and as a featured soloist with the Philharmonic Society Orchestra.
I’ve enjoyed performing with local singer-songwriters, performing with Scott J Mason, The Bering Sea and notably for the Strings Against Oil fundraiser at the Wine Cellar. Also working on recordings, most recently on Reb Fountain’s album “How Love Bends”".
Most of my days are spent with the young people of South Auckland through Sistema Aotearoa and the Tironui Music Trust, where I teach students, watching them grow as musicians and people. Their progress shows the power of music and the opportunities it creates, and I’m constantly learning alongside them—professionally, culturally and emotionally.
My passion spans the arts—art and design, dance, theatre and poetry—and my musical taste is eclectic, from Romantic-era classics and musicals to blues, bluegrass and artists from Janis and Bob to Amy and RTJ. That variety shapes my playing and teaching, bringing empathy, creativity and a broad musical perspective to my work..
"—We’re not our skin of grime, we’re not dread bleak dusty imageless locomotives, we’re golden sunflowers inside...." - from "Sunflower Sutra" by Allan Ginsburg