I am a saxophonist, educator and lifelong lover of music from West Auckland.
I grew up in Henderson and started my saxophone journey aged 10, playing in community concert bands and Rockquest groups in intermediate school.
In high school I fell in love with jazz, and I quickly became a part of the school jazz combo, big band, production band and choir as well as groups for Tangata Beats, Smokefree Rockquest and many other interschool competitions.
Through these other groups I found my love for the community. I was exposed to a wide variety of jazz influenced genres like R&B, funk, hiphop, Polynesian reggae and soul.
After 5 years of constant musical exposure I pursued a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance at the New Zealand School of Music, at Victoria University of Wellington. I further developed my technique, ear and vocabulary as a jazz musician, and I learned the importance of versatility in the musical world.
Last year I had an independent musical sabbatical across Asia, expanding my artistic perspective through international collaboration and performance.
My journey started with 2 months living in Osaka then moved onto busking on the streets of Ulaanbaatar, playing in the Gobi Desert, getting on the news playing with Pashtun musicians in Peshawar and many jams along the way in jazz venues in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Manila.
I returned to New Zealand with a commitment to develop my voice, and strengthen my professional connections. Since returning I've spend a lot of time in the Auckland music scenes, particularly in the indie hiphop/dance scene as well as jazz. My long term goal is to establish a sustainable career as both a performer and educator, contributing to the music community in New Zealand and abroad.