As a composer he is probably best known for his operatic trilogy of children's stories: "The Mother", "The Selfish Giant", and "Harrison Loved his Umbrella".
He received commissions from the Curtis Institute, Fedora Horowitz, Meadowbrook Music festival, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
His teaching and composing career from 1976 to 1993 was centered at Oakland University, where he was composer-in-residence and finally retired as Professor Emeritus.
Among composers who were his students from that time period may be counted Harold Boatrite, Mark Gottlieb, and Daniel Jencka.
His works are housed in the Edwin Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia, and at Oakland University.