He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and M.M. and B.M. degrees in music history and clarinet performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His research interests include Puccini's operas, exoticism and Orientalism in music, nostalgia, and music in postwar Japan. His research has been funded through support of the University of South Carolina Office of the Provost.