Where did you grow up?  Dayton, Ohio.

Where do you currently live?  Lisbon, Maine.

What instruments do you play?  Violin, Viola.

Educational background:  Arizona State University, Bachelor of Music, Violin Performance 1991; Boston University, Master of Music, Violin Performance, 1994.

Family, Pets, Kids:  I have a daughter. Her name is Lily Watras. She plays the viola.

How did you get started in music?  I started piano lessons when I was six. I started violin lessons when I was ten at a summer camp in Wheeling, West Virgina.

What non-PSO musical activities do you participate in?  I am a music teacher at Lisbon Community School.  I teach classroom music to K through 5 students, as well as a strings program grades 4 through 12.  I also perform as a freelance musician once in a while as part of various ensembles.

What’s your favorite PSO memory to date?  That is hard to choose. I love playing with the PSO. I have been a member of the PSO longer than I have been a public school teacher.

If you couldn’t be a musician, what would be your dream job?  How can I answer this question?

Any non-musical hobbies?  I enjoy running. So far I have finished five marathons in my life. I also enjoy getting outdoors with my daughter. We purchased ice skates at the same time and I thought we could learn together. She learn to skate much better than I did; a lot more quickly.

Who or what has been your greatest influence, musical or otherwise? Professor Roman Totenberg was a great inspiration to me when I studied with him at Boston University.