Violinist. Arranger. Composer.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started out learning violin at school (I went to a Steiner School and everyone in the class had to learn strings) and studied classical violin until the end of high school. After school I went to university and studied jazz violin, experimenting with pop, electronic, bluegrass, latin and classical styles. I have been playing violin in bands and solo for over 20 years now, and my current project ORCHA is an exploration of violin sounds in electronic music.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Electronic, pop-rock, singer-songwriter and folk/jazz are my main styles that I work on.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is improvising on the violin, experimenting with effects on the violin, arranging and recording string section parts for contemporary music and mixing strings.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I can bring an improvisational jazz/folk tone to a song, or simply layer up string section parts. I can arrange moving orchestral/ensemble type strings and record them easily by myself. I am proficient in mixing and will provide a high quality export of the sound you require. I can also provide experimental "synth-like" sounds from my violin, to create a unique tone that will lift your music and add an element of interest to your sound.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually like to get the chord progression and melody as a starting point and then build my string arrangements around that. I layer strings one by one over the recording, mixing and editing as I go. Occasionally I will get a full string ensemble to come in to record a song, but that costs a lot more and takes a longer time.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have built my own studio in Melbourne called "Natural Habitat Studios" where I write, compose, arrange, record and rehearse for my own music and for other projects. I have good quality mics and interface to record strings, as well as some great gear so that I can run my violin direct into Ableton.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Andrew Bird is a master of weaving violin into popular music and has a beautiful tone and playing style. As someone who plays both Folk and Electronic/Pop music using violin as my primary songwriting instrument, I find his style very interesting and inspiring.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I get asked a lot to record violin for singer-songwriters, arrange string section parts for all styles of popular music, experiment with violin sounds run through guitar pedals and effects on Ableton Live.