At age 30, while working as a registered Professional Engineer in energy efficiency and HVAC, I had an existential crisis. My work was well intentioned and sorely needed, but my impact could never be truly significant because my heart wasn’t in it. I don’t dream about car engines or neatly organized spreadsheets. I have the mind of a songwriter and storyteller. I need to write songs to make sense of the world, and I’ve found that my music can help others make sense of it too. So I decided to leave my career of a dozen years behind and start anew as a composer and music educator.
I’ve taken my love of storytelling to UCLA, where I am currently pursuing a PhD in Music Composition. In my recent music I’ve approached composition through the angle of songwriting. I am particularly interested in writing songs for people who might have reservations with the perceived elitism of classical music. Over the last three years, I’ve studied composition with Nicholas Vasallo, Kay Rhie, David Lefkowitz, and Peter Golub. I have also self-released two albums of folk songs. John Hollywood is the name I was born with. In my spare time, I enjoy reading.
