BIOGRAPHIC SUMMARY

 

1983-1990 — Formal Music Training.

I was raised in a musical home. My mother, Linda Meissner from the pages of the book, “The Cross & The Switchblade,” together with Trena McDougal and Becky Lozano, started a musical trio that toured the USA and released several albums. My home was always full of music: classical music, jazz, and worship. From ages 6-14, I received weekly private lessons. I participated in several piano concerts and competitions. That’s when opportunities began to open for me.
 

1991-2001 — On Stage and Abroad.

I was a soloist, and substitute director, for the professional choir, Kefas, led by Peter Steinvig, with whom I traveled and performed extensively both in Denmark and abroad (including choir festivals in Italy and Poland). I also directed my own choir, Amager Gospel Choir, and I hosted a weekly music radio show at Radio Amager. During this time, I was also the music & choir director at International Harvest Christian Center, for Pastor James Commey. During this time I trained martial arts. I first learnt Wing Chun from my mentor, James Cheng, in my early teens. He taught me to adapt other styles in the spirit of Bruce Lee.

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1996-2004 — Christiania Legal Group.

I worked as the personal assistant of Paul Kall Knudsen, chairman of Christiania's Legal Group on criminal and social justice issues. The most interesting aspect of the job was to witness–first hand–the interactions of politicians, lawyers, journalists, criminologists, researchers, gang members, drug dealers, etc. I had the honor of meeting such distinguished personalities as Jacob Ludvigsen, Tine Bryld, and Erling Olsen.

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2001-2008 — More Stage and Studio.

I served as a worship leader at United Methodist Church, Copenhagen, for Bishop Christian Alsted. During this time I also pioneered and organized Young Copenhagen Gospel Festival. I married my wife of 20 years in 2003. We have three children. In 2004 we moved to Latvia, where I was employed as a music & choir director. I traveled extensively throughout Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Russia, training worship teams and doing countless music productions, both live, in studio, and on radio and television. I performed before Latvia’s government cabinet and in the Presidential Palace of Kiev, Ukraine. I worked with artists such as Adlan Cruz, Alexey Ledyaev, Kenneth Ulmer, Pavel Murashov, Sunday Adelaja, Ulf Kristiansson, and Vaidas Vyšniauskas.

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2004-2008 — Latvia's First Party.
While in Latvia, I had an opportunity to work with Deputy Inta Feldmane as a volunteer coordinator for Latvia’s First Party (Latvian: Latvijas Pirmā Partija, LPP). At the time, LPP held ten seats in the hundred-seat Saeima and was part of the governing coalition. I had the honor to work with politicians like Ainārs Šlesers, Ainars Baštiks, and Juris Lujāns. I traveled to Murmansk (Russia), Chernobyl (Belarus), and Barsebäck (Sweden) to bring attention to environmental concerns with nuclear waste.

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2008-2010 — Common Ground Choir.

In Sweden, I continued to arrange concerts, festivals, choir-trips, as well as participating in the nationally televised TV-program, “Battle Of The Choirs” (TV4). I continued to give private singing lessons, with some of my students being finalists in televised talent shows. For example, Sofia Olsson (“True Talent” Finalist, Sweden), Feridah Rose (“Denmark’s Got Talent” Semi-Finalist), and Rasma Freimane (Top Overall Vocalist, Tech Music School, London). I worked with international artists such as Bröderna Rongedal, Carsten Gröndal, Ron Kenoly, Emmanuel & Ruth Waldron, Jnr Robinson, Gospel Groove Company, Kristian Benedikt, Normunds Piesis, Rigas Gospel Choir, and Sing Out.

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2008-2015 — B.S & M.S. Degrees.

By 2008, I had 19 years of ministry experience in a variety of leadership roles and 13 years experience of working internationally with local and state governments, community-based organizations, and other jurisdictions. So, I decided to supplement my hands-on experience with academic credentials. 2008-2012, I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Orebro University. I did my research and wrote my thesis on Keynesian and Austrian Economics. 2012-2015, I obtained a Master of Science in Political Science from Uppsala University. I did my research and wrote my thesis on Ethnic and Cultural Identity.

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2013-2020 — Moving to USA

We moved to the Seattle area in 2013. We launched a non-profit, The Trail Youth (featured on Returning The Favor with Mike Rowe), a Christian Coffee House, street evangelism with 25 evangelists, and a church plant, Tacoma Faith. During this time I also taught music at Voice In The Valley, TakeLessons,  and Udemy (where I offer a classical piano course, with 40,000+ students enrolled). Since moving to the USA, I performed in many venues like Northwest Folklife Festival, Leavenworth’s 50th Anniversary Christmas Lighting Festival, and Christmas Spectacular.

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2020-present — Relocating to Idaho.

In the aftermath of the riots and lockdowns of 2020, we relocated our family to Post Falls, Idaho. Marija and I developed River Tech — a brand and educational model blending performing arts, technology, and Christian values in a competency-based approach — drawing on everything we had learned across three decades and four countries. In 2021, Man's Place in God's Plan was published. In 2021 we opened our first school, River Tech School of Performing Arts & Technology, as a living expression of that model. In 2024 we incorporated Faithful Five Inc. as the nonprofit parent ministry, bringing the school, our homeless outreach in Spokane, and our future church plant under one roof. Faithful Five operates the school under a licensing agreement with River Tech LLC, which holds the brand and educational model.