I was born in Russia in 1995. I was essentially left in the hospital after I was born because I was missing my left arm. Fortunately, I was placed in an orphanage where I lived for the next couple of years. Back in the U.S., Kevin and Lori, who had recently had a daughter of their own, were looking to adopt their next child. Both of them had other family members who were adopted and friends who had recently adopted children from Russia. Lori found a photo of a little one-armed boy and showed it to Kevin. “That’s my son!” he said. On Thanksgiving 1997, I was adopted and became a McConnell.

A few years later, my family got word that I had a blood sibling who had been put up for adoption. Marina was 10 years old at the time and unwilling to leave Russia. My parents went through the process again, and during one of the adoption hearings, Marina told them she would not leave her younger brother, Vladimir, behind. He was only 3 years old and in a different orphanage. My parents adopted both of them, and we were all reunited.

Growing up, I took after my dad in both music and computers. I’ve been tinkering with computers and technology for as long as I can remember, and as a teenager, I worked in our family’s computer repair business. I’ve maintained a successful career in IT, and even though I’ve moved on from the family business, my dad and I continue to work together and lean on each other for all sorts of projects.

My dad’s side of the family has a long history of music in the household, and our home was no exception. Before I can remember, I was kicking my dad off the piano so I could play, and by the time I was a teenager, we had more keyboards in the house than I could count! I eventually taught myself how to play, even using my foot on the keys.

Beyond music and computers, I also have a passion for film and photography. Most recently, I’ve found a way to combine my interests by not only creating videos of my own music but also starting an interview series with other musicians.