Writing
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Richard Strauss’s 'Die ägyptische Helena' emerges from the shadows in a lavish but uneven Bard revival
The voices shine brightest in revival of Strauss's penultimate collaboration with Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
Cooperstown, NY
When private lives become political: 'Fellow Travelers' at Glimmerglass
Glimmerglass Festival's Fellow Travelers transforms the Lavender Scare into an intimate, devastating story of love, fear, and political persecution.
Cooperstown, NY
An American tragedy: 'Madama Butterfly' at Glimmerglass
Francesca Zambello's striking Madama Butterfly strips away convention to reveal the tragedy through an unflinching American lens.
Cooperstown, NY
No scenery, no apologies, just 'Oklahoma!' at Glimmerglass
In a high school auditorium, Glimmerglass Festival turned adversity into a joyous, quintessentially American Oklahoma!.
Cooperstown, NY
Mozart goes to college in Glimmerglass’s winning 'Così fan tutte'
Wildfire smoke threatened the performance, but Glimmerglass answered with resilience, ingenuity, and a fun-filled Mozart.
Sopot, Poland
Very Today ‘Walküre,’ Penderecki Celebration Highlight Baltic Festival
From the "Bayreuth of the North" to bold contemporary reinterpretations, the Baltic Opera Festival balanced tradition with innovation.
Versailles, France
Eighteenth-century stagecraft reborn with Gluck’s 'Le cinesi" at Versailles
In the Queen's private theater, Gluck's Le cinesi became more than an opera.
Philadelphia, PA
Boyer and Campbell’s 'A Hundred Years On' gives voice to America’s Centennial dream
All-American program sparks with energy and color in Philadelphia's reimagined Highmark Mann.
Atlanta, GA
From contralto to conductor: Stutzmann’s ‘Resurrection’ with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Chorus displayed the richness and depth of its fabulous sound.
Atlanta, GA
When Valhalla goes up in flames: Atlanta Opera’s triumphant 'Götterdämmerung'
Tomer Zulun's entire Ring cycle is to be performed in 2029.
About
I got the travel bug from my parents. As a boy I had crisscrossed the US with them and my younger brother on the classic American Road Trip to California. At 16, I went to Europe for the first time. The destination was Germany, a country that I have returned to many times. In addition to business and personal travel, I have lived in Switzerland, Singapore and China.
A musician for most of my life, first a trumpet player and then a singer, I have a degree in music from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2013, A career in law and the insurance industry came next. I began reviewing for Seen and Heard International in 2023, which pointed me in an entirely new direction. In addition to Seen and Heard International, my music and travel articles have been published in the New York Classical Review, Classical Voice North America, Operwire, MusicWeb International, Global Times, and the Shanghai Daily. I also combine my interests in music and travel in personally curated tours in Europe and Asia.