As you continue your role as Artistic Director of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, what "spaces" – whether musical, personal, or communal – will you carry with you from your time with Mendelssohn Chorus?

I can definitively say that Mendelssohn has been a huge influence on my time with Master Chorale. In many ways, they’re a similar organization (great people, great musicians, same size choir) so it’s familiar right off the bat.

But the most significant piece that I’m taking from Mendelssohn is the standard they have set. The bar is so high and I want, no, I must uphold that. They have helped me define who I am as a leader, conductor, and artist.

I will carry that with me forever.