In 2017, I will be participating in the inaugural Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy for Music. This first session, taking place in Boonville, California, involves seminar discussions with other participant composers, coachings with mentor Gabriela Lena Frank, and a reading session with Tony Arnold and the Third Angle String Quartet. All of this takes place in an unique, intimate setting that is focused on community involvement, cultivating a richly collaborative learning environment, and vigorous attention to the creative process. The culmination of this Academy will be a performance of my new work and the work of the participant composers in Third Angle's hometown of Portland, Oregon in October 2017.