Kevin joined Threshold by always keeping an open ear throughout his life. That’s only partly a musician joke. From a very young age Kevin’s been drawn to music. Thanks to a piano in the household he figured out the basics of the instrument at a very, very young age. Shortly thereafter he began teaching himself the clarinet. But what could have ended up being a lighthearted interest got supercharged thanks to the nationally renowned band program at his New England middle school and high school, and Kevin fully sank his teeth into the possibilities. He was involved in everything from pit orchestra to jazz bands and concert band first chairs. In ninth grade he went to Hokkaido, Japan on a band tour thanks to a sister city program through his high school. 

Naturally he started college off as a music major, focused on the clarinet at Vanderbilt University. But relationships change, and doing music full time for two years was causing him to think more long term about what life as a musician would be like. Through some shared lunches with mechanical engineering students while working a summer construction and home remodeling job, Kevin kept an ear open to what these students were working on and what they were interested in – it wasn’t too different from his own interests. He switched from music to mechanical engineering in the fall of his junior year and graduated with two majors: engineering and music. 

With a double major and dual focus in life, he knew if he just kept putting his interests out there, he’d find the right place for him. Thanks to a site visit his final year of college, he started working at an engineering firm first in Nashville, then Denver, focusing on HVAC design and installation. Work shortages during the pandemic caused him to come back to Massachusetts where he grew up but, hardly discouraged by the turn of events, he kept working and as the world began to reopen, he followed his interests back to music. Church choir, community choir, jazz bands – he filled all his available time with music and in doing so became friends and performed with a jazz pianist who was also on the board of directors for Groton Hill Music Center, and that pianist, also knowing Kevin’s interests and educational background, insisted he see a lecture on acoustics given by Carl Giegold. So Kevin went and kept an ear open and loved what he heard – a way to bridge engineering and his passion for music. Chatting with Carl led to further chats about experience for acousticians and getting a foot in the door in the industry, and as luck would have it, we were only too happy to open the door even further. 

Relocating to Chicago has allowed Kevin to reconnect with college friends, and when he’s not in music rehearsals he’s hanging out with them. While there’s less mountain biking possible here than in Massachusetts, he takes full advantage of the summer festivals and lake front trail in the warmer months.