
I was born on November 13, 1988 in Chicago. The story of how I got into music started when I was 3 years old. My mother tells me that I watched somebody play "Happy Birthday" on the piano and after he got off, I took the seat and played back the song. She consequently put me into piano lessons when I was seven and I've been playing ever since.
In the summer of 1999, I moved to the Phoenix, AZ area, where many more musical opportunities presented themselves to me. I joined the school band playing the tenor saxophone when I was 10. From then on, music became an integral part of who I was. I quickly learned the saxophone, and my band director offered me private lessons to introduce me to jazz. A year later, I became part of the Peoria Honor Jazz Band playing lead tenor. I fell in love with jazz in that year and have been playing it ever since. Today, I play lead tenor in Yavapai College's Big Band II in Prescott, AZ. I also serve as the church organist for the St. George Ancient Church of the East in Phoenix.
As for composing, that started quite early. I had always had musical ideas bouncing around in my mind; I can even remember contemplating melodies at the age of 5. However, I never really thought of putting them down on paper. That changed when I turned 12; I composed my first song, "Taking Action", written for a typical school concert band (about 60 people). My band director then told me about a state competition of young composers, which I subsequently participated in. My song was 1 of 12 picked for performance at the Phoenix Civic Plaza.
My compositions continued through my first year at high school and each added a more complex element as I went along. In my sophomore year of high school, I decided that it was time that I devote my energies to a major project. At the same moment, I thought about how sparse any symphonic music was within the Assyrian realm. I knew of very few prominent Assyrian classical musicians and I didn't know of any major orchestral works by Assyrians. I felt an obligation to perform some sort of duty to my people, something that would stand out. Thus, I meshed the two ideas together. Major musical project plus duty to my people equals a major symphonic work following the story of the Assyrian people. I began writing the first notes in my sophomore year and penned the last notes in the first half of my senior year.
I am now pursuing a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. You may ask what the a person with such a passion for music is doing pursuing an engineering degree. I get that a lot. The answer to that question is that I have a second passion, a passion for space. I have always been intrigued by it and find myself looking at the stars very frequently. I also have a passion for the maths and sciences, hence, the engineering part of the picture. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity of interning at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA in the fall of 2009, an invaluable experience. Now, I am back at school, a junior of aerospace engineering, and I'm very excited to finish up my degree!
I have two dreams. One is to be able to stand and direct a symphony orchestra in a concert. The other is to go to space and ultimately, walk on Mars.
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