“The only thing better than singing is more singing.”
- Ella Fitzgerald
I have been singing all my life, and nothing brings me greater joy than to sing. I would perform whenever I could, wherever I could, for whomever I could, since I was a young child. I vividly recall seeing my first musical when I was six years old on a school field trip to see Seussical. I knew from then on I wanted to be on stage one day.
Darien at three years old.
I joined a choir for the first time at eight years old and was in my first musical at nine years old, and instantly fell in love with both. There was something magical about getting to perform with other people that was exciting and unlike anything else. You would think almost twenty years later that magic would have maybe worn off by now, but it hasn’t, and I hope it never does. Through singing I have gotten to meet some of my closest friends, tour six different countries, and create amazing art with others.
I have been teaching and working with kids from a young age as well. I first fell in love with teaching in the sixth grade, when I got the opportunity to tutor first and second grade students struggling with reading in a daily after school program at my elementary school. Later on during high school I got the opportunity to lead performing arts activities at a summer camp for children aged 5-12, as well as travel to New York City as a teaching assistant and acting coach to children aged 5-12 competing in acting at International Models & Talent Association (IMTA). I never thought I would pursue teaching, singing, or acting as a career though, until my junior year of high school when one day after helping lead sectionals for choir, my choir director asked me if I had ever considered a career in music. That conversation changed the course of my life forever.
Darien in undergraduate senior recital.
My passions for both performing and teaching lead me to earn Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Music Theatre and Music Education from Carthage College in 2020. My fascination with the anatomy and physiology of the human voice lead me back to Carthage once again, earning my Masters of Music in Music Theatre Vocal Pedagogy in 2024. Currently working as a private voice instructor, choir director, musical director, general music teacher, and performer, I not only get to pursue my love of singing and theatre, but I also have the incredibly rewarding opportunity share that passion that with my students as well.
Theatrical Resume
Curriculum Vitae