1.Tell us about your journey to the San Diego Symphony. 

I’ve been playing the violin since I was three years old, so music has always been a part of my life. My parents were both music educators and wanted me (and my sisters) to be exposed to classical music and “speak that language,” but they never intended for us to become professional musicians. I was a French and Political Science double major in college, though I kept playing violin on the side, just to keep music in my life. Ironically, my sisters and I all have careers in classical music, and I’ve loved my time with the San Diego Symphony, which I joined in 2006. I’m originally from the Midwest (my parents and youngest sister still live in Chicago), so it was surreal to come and experience the beauty of San Diego and put roots down here. The orchestra has artistically grown so much in the nearly 20 years I’ve been here, and it’s both inspiring and humbling to be a part of the institution’s upward trajectory. It currently feels like a good chapter for the San Diego Symphony.

 

2. What is your favorite San Diego Symphony memory so far? 

There are so many to choose from! Of course, the first time we played in Carnegie Hall (in 2014) was incredibly memorable, and it was such a treat to return nearly 10 years later to give another incredible performance there in October of 2023. Performing Mahler’s 2^nd Symphony (this past fall) to help celebrate the re-opening of Jacobs Music Center was another highlight for me, one that I’m sure I’ll remember for years to come. It was such an epic and exhilarating performance thanks to my incredibly talented colleagues in the orchestra, the fantastic-sounding choir, and the feeling of sharing something truly special with the capacity audience.

 

 3. How do you like to spend your free time when not performing?

In addition to performing full-time in the symphony, I also run a chamber music organization called Art of Elan (artofelan.org), which has been building community through music and bringing innovative programming to unexpected places for 18 years now. We curate a wide variety of events, mainly in collaboration with other arts organizations and artists throughout the region, and we do a fair amount of commissioning of new music as well. All of this is an effort to keep our art form meaningful and relevant, to connect the dots for people between different art forms, and to amplify the work of artists who are creating in the here and now. We are a nonprofit organization, so I’ve learned to be an arts administrator along the way. It’s been quite a journey and is a fascinating balance to my performing career.  I also have two young boys who are baseball-obsessed, so you can often find me at Petco Park or at the University City Little League fields near our house.

 

4. What musical work are you looking most forward to this summer or for next indoor season, 2025-2026? 

I get asked DAILY about the upcoming symphony show with Beck on July 29, so of course I’m curious about that one! But the variety of the summer season is fantastic, and it’s always a fun time at The Rady Shell, so there’s a lot to look forward to. Our indoor season also promises to be good, and I’m particularly excited to be playing more Mahler, both in the fall and in January.

 

5. Any special hobbies or interesting facts about yourself that you’d like to share? 

Thanks to my husband and two sons (Max is 9 and Ian is 7 years old), I’m learning a lot about baseball. I’ve been serving on the University City Little League board for the last couple of years, and it’s amazing how much I still don’t understand about the sport! It’s an incredibly humbling sport—even the best Major League players only get a hit about 30% of the time. It’s funny to consider the classical music equivalent—can you imagine if I only played 30% of the notes? The comparison is laughable, but the sport is teaching everyone in my family how to be more resilient. That’s got to be a valuable life skill!