I grew up in Austin, MN and started playing the violin when I was ten. I was trained classically and as a child always had the dream of being a professional musician in a symphony. In high school I barely passed classes like math and science, it was a struggle. But music was what drove me. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to go to summer music camps with my best friend. We would get into all kinds of shenanigans and have the time of our lives.

I'm still amazed at how supportive my parents were in my musical endeavors. They bought me my first "professional" violin when I was 15 and I still play it to this day. It's old and French and I love it to death. After high school I attended Viterbo College and studied with the Artaria String Quartet. They were amazing. Ray Shows is the first violinist, and just watching him perform could bring me to tears. He had so much intensity and passion in his playing. My time at Viterbo was very short.

I realized I was not ready for college at that time and with the help of my parents I moved to Minneapolis to start a new life. I was lucky enough to land a job at Claire Givens Violins in 2003. I learned so much about the sounds of instruments and how each violin has a character of its own. I played with a few bands off and on in my spare time, but nothing too serious.

I ran across an ad on Craigslist that said Cloud Cult was looking for a violinist and singer. I jumped at the chance. I had a few auditions with them and they decided to take me on for the Meaning of 8 CD release tour. It was five weeks long and the days leading up to the tour had to have been the scariest time of my life. I had no idea what to expect. The tour was just an unbelievable experience. There's really nothing like it. I'm now a full time member of the band and it's been an honor and amazing journey thus far. We soon will be releasing the next album Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornados) and I can't wait until we can share it with you!