Graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (USA). He made his début with the Philadelphia Orchestra as winner of the annual Albert Greenfield Student Competition. In 2015 he took first place in the ASTA (American String Teachers Association) National Competition in Salt Lake City. His recent and upcoming engagements include a solo concert at the Auditorium of the Louvre in Paris, an appearance in Dresden, and a performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. He has performed on tour in twenty countries, including Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Brazil, and Mexico among others. He has participated in the Verbier Academy Festival and in Pinchas Zukerman's programmes in Canada. He plays a cello that belonged to his grandfather, Austrian cellist Robert Popper.
Which people would you invite as guests to your dream dinner party?
Leonardo da Vinci, Brahms and Bach.
What is your favorite meal?
Anything Italian, like Pasta Marinara.
Do you have a favorite motto or proverb that you live your life by?
"If you believe it, you can achieve it."
Which person or people inspire you the most?
My wonderful parents and 3 older brothers.
If you were 80 years old, what advice would you give to young people today?
Do what you love doing.
What would you like people to say about you?
That I somehow made a difference in their life for the better.
How do you overcome the stage fright? / What is your ritual before going on stage?
Take deep breaths and find a good couch!
When you perform... who are you playing for?
For the composer, the audience, and to quote Bach "Soli Deo Gloria!"
What job would you least like to do?
Skydiving Instructor, I'm terrified of heights.
Is there a joke about musicians that you would like to share with us?
Once there was a musician who dreamt he was playing a Bruckner Symphony, then he woke up and he was! (Jokes aside, I love Bruckner!)
What's the "most played" non-classical track on your phone?
Alan Toussaint "Southern Nights".
You are on a desert island and can bring only 3 items, what do you bring?
A magnifying glass, my grandfather's cello which he smuggled out of Austria in 1938, and the Bach Suites.
What is your favorite noise/sound? What is the most annoying noise for you?
My body goes into shock when i hear sandpaper on anything.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A tropical island maybe?
What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word Tchaikovsky?
Russia, because my great great grandmother was Russian and maybe she heard his music and was alive at the same!
What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word competition?
Excitement!
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