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I was born on Nov. 25, 2001 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and I've lived in NC for all my life. I began showing an interest in music since a very young age. (Before I was born, according to my mother - but I wouldn't know!)

I played a piano for the first time at my Grandmother's house when I was about 2, and later that year, my parents bought a Boston upright piano for my house (which remained until late 2020, when my Grandmother's old Steinway made its way to my house). Being a typical curious toddler, I found it endlessly fascinating, and by the time I was about 3, I was beginning to improvise little tunes to play—my parents had to put up with me playing the "7:11" song nearly every day at 7:11; either am or pm. Improvisation continues to be a passion of mine, though I have mercifully learned to play at more polite times.

I began taking lessons at age 5, and by that time, it was no small task for my teacher to convince me that reading music was the correct way to learn pieces, since I had always relied on my ear. I still play piano, but even back then, it was clear that my real passion was with the pipe organ—every Sunday, I would rush to watch the church organist play his postlude.

My parents, aware of my obsession with the organ, were lucky enough to stumble across an unbelievably good deal on a tiny tracker organ. Just prior to my ninth birthday, that little organ made its way to my driveway, and a very surprised me helped to assemble and tune the organ in my house, where it remains. I've spent thousands of hours practicing all sorts of music on its keys, and it's no less a joy to play now than it was then.

My tenth year was also marked by several other life-changing experiences: I got to play the old 1800 Tannenberg organ in Old Salem, NC, which was the first time I realized the depth of the soul that well-crafted organs can have. Later that year, I got to play very briefly on the Wanamaker organ, which is a mind-blowing experience whenever any organist plays it for the first time, let alone a 9-year-old.

After graduating from Enloe High School in 2020, I began studying organ full-time at UNCSA in Winston-Salem, NC, where I am currently.