Here's a look back over the musical years of my career skipping around the planet. This is a work in progress; by no means is it finished. This is a draft. If you remember something that you think should be here let me know at [email protected] 1979 Begins viola lessons at Maplewood Elementary School 80/82 My dad takes me to hear Austin jazz at a club called Piggys on Congress. (now its Manuels) Hear's Gene Ramey at Chez Fred 1983 Met Cellist John Loutzenhiser as a freshmen at Austin High Heard Mitche Watkins with Stephen Zirkel at Symphony Square Orchestral Director Corky Robinson at Austin High is also Jazz Band director John Loutsenhieser is the guitarist in the jazz band and cellist in the orchestra Meet Saxophonist James (Elias) Haslanger and Drummer Chris Searles. These two along with bassist Stephen Zirkel form the core of my first band which records first album later. 1984 1985 1986 Audits a Jazz Improv Class with Stewart Gourd 1987 Graduates from Austin High School Accepted to New England Conservatory of Music to study with Walter Trampler Begins viola performance study with Donald Wright at UT Austin Jeff Helmer starts teaching at UT 1988 Starts band "Stream of Consciouness" and then "The Stream" with Austin guitarist Clay Moore Will Taylor Jazz Quartet plays for keynote address of SXSW. 1989 Living in home in Travis Heights Austin Texas working on delapidated old house in exchange for rent. Remember hitting up free happy hour buffets to cut down on food costs. Joins band called "Color" with Joey Grundl Helps write arrangements and hires local jazz friends to play on first album: Martin Banks, Alex Coke, Chris Searles, and Dave Morgan For first "Jazz" String Quartet with cellist John Loutzenhiser, Violins: Doug Tabony and Catherine Beeson Spent hours arranging many charts for the jazz quaret including "Fables of Faubus", Well you needn't, alice in wonderland and original pieces Weminuche wilderness This is the year I discover the Turtle Island String Quartet and write them a letter First Liveset Appearance on KUT 90.5 Successful Audition for Austin Lyric Opera. Begins 23 years with opera orchestra. 1990 "Bob and Dave" premired by Creative Opportunity Orchestra in Austin in the ACL Studio and in San Antonio ". . . Will Taylor is a serious composer who bridges classical and jazz traditions. His "Bob and Dave" partakes of Stravinsky and Ravel without really imitating them, yet is a full-fledged jazz composition for string quartet and jazz band."  Mike Greenberg - San Antonio Express-News 1991 Turtle Island String Quartet invites me to come do a live performance audtion with them. After doing a series of kids shows in California they ask me to help fill in for a very important gig for them. I go to Oakland California and stay at Darol Angers home to rehearse and be grilled by the Turtles. ASTA is having a conference in San Francisco at the time and I meet mandolinist Mike Marshall. Meet David Brin from Strings Magazine and Darol write a short piece on me and one of my jazz viola solos. The gig turns out to be a very important performance at Town Hall in New York City which is broadcast on NPR and recorded live for CBS Sunday Morning. Jazz pianist Dr. Billy Taylor interviews me along with the other three members of Turtle Island. The whole experience was a sureal whirlwind. After making jazz viola my nose to the grinestone passion for the past 7 years, I get a dream job doing it. After the show at Town Hall, I meet Tony Triscka and go to a party at a composer's home that's wrote a concerto for Eric Clapton and Orchestra. ??? I remember talking about being in love and how Tony seemed to be with his wife at that time. After returning to Austin, TISQ asks if I can join them for a once in a lifetime kind of tour. They want to know if I'd like to go to Alaska with them in February. We play a show for over 3500 at the Center for the Arts in Ancorage first and then fly in sized planes to Kodiak Island, Kenai, Homer, and