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Birth
For the record, I was born May 9, 1966. I grew up in the small town of Corry, PA in northwest Pennsylvania. -
Conversion
I came to faith in Christ at age 9 while attending summer camp at Miracle Mountain Ranch. (It was, not coincidentally, about the last time I was ever on a horse, but that’s another story.) -
Trumpet Lessons Begin
My earliest musical experiences were singing in a children’s choir at church and beginning trumpet lessons in the 4th grade. I learned to read music and once transcribed the melody of Barry Manilow’s “I Write the Songs” to show my music teacher. -
Piano Lessons and First Song Composed
Although I played a little piano by ear, I started piano lessons at age 12 with my church’s organist and director of the children’s and handbell choirs. My very first arrangement was of “Chopsticks” for handbells. I also wrote and notated my first song around this time, “He’s Really There.” for voice and piano. The first line was “Are you tired of walking that long and winding road?” I’m not sure how much I knew about long and winding roads at 12, but it was a start. -
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Music Composition Lessons
Private study at Edinboro University with Dr. Leroy Williams, a great experience for me. -
Music Composition Lessons Begin
Thanks to my school district's gifted program I was able to study music composition privately with Dr. Leroy Williams at Edinboro University from grades 8 - 12. I also learned to play bass, took some organ lessons, and wrote my first chart for Big Band that year. -
Wheaton College
I was a piano major at Wheaton College, although I continued to compose music. I sang in and accompanied the Men's Glee Club, and made many wonderful friends. -
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Wheaton College
I was a Piano Performance major at Wheaton College. -
Concerto Competition Winner
My senior year at Wheaton I won the Concerto Competition, which resulted in my performing Liszt's "Totentanz" over Commencement Weekend. During the same concert, I accompanied the Men's Glee Club, and the Women's Chorale premiered my choral work "Three Poems of Amy Carmichael." -
Grad School, U of Miami
At Miami, I was trained how to write for just about any kind of group in just about any style. The first year is writing intensive (emphasis on INTENSIVE) and the second year is spent working on your master's project in the recording studio, usually during the middle of the night. I was also thrilled to sing in "JV1", one of the best college vocal jazz groups in the country, during my time there. -
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University of Miami
Grad school -
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Annual Music Trips Overseas
In the summer of 1989 I was the musical director of "First Love," a "Youth for Christ" sponsored short-term music/missions team that toured the Soviet Union (Estonia and Latvia) during the month of August. We made annual trips for several years and in 1991, we were in Tallinn, Estonia when the Soviet Union collapsed. It was incredible (and a little unnerving) to watch history happening in front of you. A week later, I performed with "First Love" at a Gospel Music Festival inside the Kremlin. -
Move to Wichita
Although I was planning to move to Nashville after grad school to pursue fame and fortune as a Christian music writer/producer, I sensed God calling me to use my gifts in the local church. I wrote a friend of mine, Vic Gordon, whom I had known at Wheaton College when I was a student there. First Baptist Wichita had been looking for a worship pastor for more than a year when my letter arrived. -
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First Baptist Church of Wichita
I was the worship pastor at First Baptist Church of Wichita for 12 years. -
Kremlin Performance
I performed at the Kremlin with a Christian music group, "First Love" a week after the collapse of the Soviet Union. -
Choral Composition Competition Win
In early 1992, I saw a blurb in a Christian magazine (Creator) about a national competition for unpublished choral composers, The Fanny Crosby Choral Composition Competition. (say THAT 5 times fast...) There were four categories: adult choir, youth choir, children's choir, and solo. It just so happened I had been writing in each of those genres. I sent my pieces in, and a few months later received word from J. Paul Williams that my piece for youth choir, "Jesus King of Heaven" had won. -
First Piece Published
The winning anthem from the choral competition, "Jesus, King of Heaven" and my entry for children's choir, "I Can Do All Things" were published by Genevox Music. -
Wedding
I met my wife one of my first evenings at the church. (She was on a list of names Vic had given me to talk with about joining the choir.) We started dating a few months later, and were engaged in the fall of 1991. We had a long engagement, more than 2 years, so Amy could attend medical school in Kansas City. -
First CD and Piano Book Releases
My first piano book, Blue Curry, was published by Shawnee Press in 1999. I also released a CD of this music at the same time. -
Birth of First Child
Our first child, Ella, was born in 1999, a week after my wife graduated from residency. -
Birth of Second Child
Coltrane (Cole) was born in 2001. -
First Baptist Resignation
After a two year interim, a new senior pastor was called in 2002. I was suffering from a clinical depression and burnout by that time. It was time to move on. So what I initially thought would be a "short stint" in Wichita as a worship pastor lasted 12 years. -
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Full-Time Composer
Since 2002 I have worked primarly as a free-lance composer and arranger and have been widely published. -
Earnest Alexander
I met Earnest Alexander, a local gospel singer and president of Youth Horizons, a ministry to at-risk youth in 2002. I was hired to play in a big band for a Christmas concert he was giving. We became good friends and I have served since then as his accompanist, accompanying him as he makes presentations at area churches. I enjoy being able to use my piano, arranging, and improvisational skills to assist this ministry. -
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Earnest Alexander Accompanist
I met Earnest Alexander, a local gospel singer and president of Youth Horizons, a ministry to at-risk youth in 2002. I was hired to play in a big band for a Christmas concert he was giving. We became good friends and I have served since then as his accompanist, accompanying him as he makes presentations at area churches. I enjoy being able to use my piano, arranging, and improvisational skills to assist this ministry. -
First Nicaragua Trip
I met missionary and choral director Joan Parajón while serving as a clinician at a church music conference in Green Lake, WI in 2002. She invited me to come and play for her choir, First Baptist of Managua, Nicaragua, for their Holy Week concerts. They have translated several of my pieces into Spanish and perform them regularly. I returned to Managua with my family in December of that year, and again most recently in 2007. -
Friends University Faculty
I joined the adjunct faculty at Friends University, where I teach vocal improvisation and direct the school's new vocal jazz ensemble.
