I was raised in the Western Australian city of Perth and commenced piano lessons with Inna Fursa, a distinguished pedagogue from Russia, shortly after I turned eleven. Lessons with Inna brought me into contact with all varieties of music, including the musical masterpieces of many composers from the former Soviet Union; not only the greats, such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich, but also composers whose names and music remain sadly obscure in the literature. I regularly performed in recitals hosted or sponsored by my high-school, All Saints’ College, and developed a vested interest in composition. Perhaps as a result of early contact with their music, I have also developed a particular interest in the musical style of composers from the former Soviet Union, and my own compositions often showcase clear influences of those composers. After graduating high-school  I took a semester of college at the University of Western Australia, majoring in composition as I continued my piano lessons with Inna, then in September of 2011 my family and I relocated to the United States.  I enrolled in a Bachelor of Music degree with

concentrations in composition and piano performance at the University of Oregon and am privileged to be under the tutelage of  Dr. Alexandre Dossin.