About me

Hello and welcome to my little corner of the internet. I’m delighted you’re here!

I’m a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow and settler scholar in musicology. My dissertation centred on expressions of heroic masculinity in two of Franz Liszt’s “heroic” symphonic poems—Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo and Mazeppa. I’ve always been fascinated with heroes and heroic figures. I remember intently listening during dinner conversations when my eldest brother would recount the legendary adventures of Jason, Prometheus, and Hercules. It wasn’t until my first undergraduate English Literature course when I realized that heroes are not always in the same Classical cast. I became fascinated with the Romantic hero, particularly why these heroic figures made such an impact on cultural and artistic expression. My dissertation is therefore a study in cultural archeology: I examine who Tasso and Mazeppa were in history, the events of their lives that turned them into legends, and how their masculine-heroic expression made their way into representative literature, painting, and program music.

When I’m not immersed in Liszt’s Romantic world, I’m learning about music and music-making in Canada. I’m particularly interested in female arts patronage in early prairie settlements. I’m currently working on an article and book project about Annie York Secord, a prominent citizen in Edmonton during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Annie’s journals, letters, and scrapbooks tell a story about the social and cultural atmosphere in Edmonton over the span of several decades. But they also reveal what it takes for a woman to maintain her social stature—both at home and abroad. Clothing, personal objects, and of course the home (structure) are reflections of class and privilege. This status is bolstered by the patronage of local musicians and artists. Annie’s home, the Chateau Rochelle, was therefore a microcosm of her status in the small, urban community of Edmonton.

One of my greatest honours is to serve as an instructor to our future musicians, educators, and leaders. I’ve taught a number of courses, from music appreciation, to undergraduate music history survey courses, to a selected topics course in popular music.