He obtained a Bachelor of Music in Composition/Theory from the University of Illinois in 1998, a Master of Arts in Music Composition from San Francisco State University in 2002, and a Doctor of Music in Composition from Northwestern University in 2008. In addition to teaching at SFSU, Northwestern, and various community music organizations, his background also includes bassoon and voice performance, conducting, music theater instruction, and early music studies. His composition instructors have included Paul Martin Zonn, Zack Browning, Ron Caltabiano, Amy Williams, and Jay Alan Yim, as well as shorter-term instruction with Salvatore Martirano, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, and Josh Levine. He has also participated in various masterclasses with composers including Tristan Murail, Christian Lauba, John Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, Martin Bresnik, Frederic Rzewski, Louis Andriessen, and Oliver Knussen.